Why I’m Thinking That AI Will Not Replace Product Managers in the Nearest Future
I’ve been closely watching the evolution of AI since the 2022 hype wave.
Like many PMs, I’ve tried dozens of tools, prompts, and integrations. I’ve been impressed. I’ve also been disappointed. But above all, I’ve started to notice a pattern.
AI doesn’t crumble under logic. It crumbles under chaos.
Last week, I stumbled upon a discussion on Reddit’s /r/ProductManagement about PMs and the possibility to substitute them with AI. That post and the heated comments that followed hit home. Here’s why.
The real PM job is messy, and AI doesn’t do messy
Let’s be honest: writing a plan isn’t the job. It’s the easy part. The real challenge is what happens between the lines:
Sales just promised a feature engineering hasn’t even heard of.
Support is escalating customer issues that contradict the current roadmap.
The CEO wants a "quick win" by next week, and Design is already overcommitted.
AI can summarize notes.
AI can rewrite emails.
But it doesn’t feel the tension in the room when marketing, engineering, and leadership pull in different directions. It doesn’t intuitively know when to push back, when to bend, or when to stay silent.
Good PMs are pattern matchers, diplomats, and sensemakers
Several people in that Reddit thread made an important point: the best PMs don’t just prioritize backlog items. They interpret weak signals, resolve conflicts, and influence outcomes without authority.
That’s not a to-do list. That’s a social puzzle. And so far, AI doesn’t play that game well.
But let’s be clear — AI will replace bad PMs
The thread made me laugh when someone wrote, “The idea that even 20% of people with a PM title are doing real PM work is laughable.”
Harsh? Maybe. True? I think so.
PMs who just act as glorified ticket pushers? Replaceable.
PMs who simply echo sales requests and call it prioritization? Replaceable.
PMs who bring no user insight, no product intuition, and no strategic thinking? Replaceable.
And that’s a good thing.
The opportunity is not to compete with AI — it’s to collaborate
One commenter described how they combined Fireflies (call transcription) + Version Lens (AI agent) to get automatic digests of what sales teams were promising. That’s genius.
Another said it well: “PMs who use AI to amplify their judgment will eat lunch of those who don’t.”
That’s exactly how I feel. I use AI to:
Analyze customer calls faster
Draft early versions of user stories
Spot recurring patterns in feedback
Challenge my assumptions
But the final call? That’s still me.
Final thoughts
AI won’t replace product managers anytime soon. But it will expose the difference between those who manage tasks — and those who manage outcomes.
So if you’re a PM, the real question isn’t:
“Will AI take my job?”
It’s:
“Am I doing the kind of work AI can’t touch?”
Let’s hope the answer is yes.