On Jervons Paradox: How Product Managers can Stay Relevant and Add Value in the Age of AI
Thriving in the Age of AI:
Jevons Paradox suggests that as technology makes resource use more efficient, demand for that resource often increases rather than decreases. In the context of AI and product management, this means that while AI may automate certain tasks, it is unlikely to reduce the need for product managers. Ixnstead, it will shift the nature of their responsibilities, increasing the demand for their strategic, creative, and leadership skills. Rather than being replaced, product managers must evolve, embracing AI as a tool that enhances their effectiveness rather than diminishing their relevance.
It is not merely a question of technology but one of identity: what is left for us, the human stewards of decisions, when machines begin to encroach upon our once-indispensable domains?
The rise of artificial intelligence has, in some circles, become synonymous with a creeping existential unease. It is not merely a question of technology but one of identity: what is left for us, the human stewards of decisions, when machines begin to encroach upon our once-indispensable domains? For product managers, this question is particularly pressing. They have been the guardians of innovation, the ones who decipher the unsaid needs of customers and orchestrate the elegant symphony between business objectives, engineering possibilities, and market desires. And yet, AI, with its vast predictive capacities and relentless efficiency, looms on the horizon.
But to think of AI as an adversary is to misunderstand its nature. Machines, however advanced, do not dream. They do not possess the delicate intuition that allows a product manager to detect the fleeting hesitation in a user’s voice during an interview or to recognize that a seemingly irrational customer preference is, in fact, a deep emotional need. They do not take long, meandering walks, during which they stumble upon a realization that reframes an entire strategy. These things, these ineffable human experiences, remain ours alone.
The Human Edge in Product Management
A machine might identify patterns in vast datasets, but it cannot sit across from a user, notice the wistful glance at an old interface, and recognize that what they truly seek is not a more efficient tool but a sense of familiarity and comfort.
To understand the essence of what AI cannot do, we must reflect on what it means to be human. A product manager’s work is not merely about organizing roadmaps and prioritizing features; it is about making sense of desires that users themselves often struggle to articulate. A machine might identify patterns in vast datasets, but it cannot sit across from a user, notice the wistful glance at an old interface, and recognize that what they truly seek is not a more efficient tool but a sense of familiarity and comfort.
At its best, product management is an act of storytelling. It is the ability to take fragmented data points, business constraints, and flashes of user sentiment, and weave them into a compelling narrative that aligns teams and inspires action. And while AI may one day construct an efficient product roadmap, it will not sit in a room and rally a team, infusing them with the kind of conviction that can only come from an individual who has seen, felt, and believed in a product’s potential.
AI as an Ally, Not a Threat
AI as a means of unburdening product managers from the drudgery that has long weighed them down
There is, of course, a temptation to view AI as an unwelcome force, stripping away the tasks that once defined product management. But this fear, while understandable, overlooks a more liberating possibility: AI as a means of unburdening product managers from the drudgery that has long weighed them down. Imagine a world where the hours spent manually parsing through customer feedback are replaced by an AI system that instantly highlights the most meaningful patterns. Picture a reality where roadmaps are not built through endless spreadsheet battles but through intelligent systems that adapt dynamically to shifting priorities.
Rather than seeing AI as an erosion of their role, product managers can embrace it as an amplification of their impact. No longer shackled to endless backlog grooming or repetitive data analysis, they can refocus on what truly matters: the pursuit of deeply human problems that require curiosity, creativity, and a profound understanding of human nature.
Evolving the Role of Product Managers
With AI reshaping the landscape, product managers must ask themselves a simple but critical question: what is it that only they can do?
With AI reshaping the landscape, product managers must ask themselves a simple but critical question: what is it that only they can do? The answer lies in a shift from execution to vision. It is no longer enough to merely manage; the future belongs to those who can interpret, synthesize, and create.
This means product managers must embrace new skills. AI literacy will be crucial—not in the sense of becoming an engineer, but in understanding the capabilities and limitations of AI systems. Strategic thinking will become even more valuable, as AI will free product managers from the minutiae, allowing them to focus on bigger, more profound questions about the nature of the products they build and the impact they have on the world.
It is one thing to identify an opportunity and quite another to persuade a team of its worth, to infuse it with enough meaning that it drives a group of individuals to dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to its realization.
Moreover, the ability to inspire and lead will become the most defining trait of a successful product manager. In an age where AI can suggest efficient paths, it will still be humans who must rally teams, foster creativity, and instill a sense of purpose that transcends algorithms. It is one thing to identify an opportunity and quite another to persuade a team of its worth, to infuse it with enough meaning that it drives a group of individuals to dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to its realization.
Embracing the Future with Optimism
If product management were simply a matter of logistics, then yes, machines would be a threat. But it is not.
The fear that AI will replace product managers is rooted in a misapprehension of what makes their role indispensable. If product management were simply a matter of logistics, then yes, machines would be a threat. But it is not. It is about the delicate dance of intuition and analysis, vision and execution, reason and emotion. It is about leading people, not just processing data.
AI will redefine the nature of work, but it will not diminish the importance of those who are willing to evolve. The product managers of the future will not be those who cling desperately to the past but those who see AI as a tool to expand their capacities, allowing them to spend less time managing and more time creating. And in the end, perhaps that is the most exciting possibility of all: not the end of product management, but its rebirth.