The Product Manager

The AI-Enhanced Team: A New Playbook for Product Leaders (with Andrew Saxe, VP of Product at Smartling)

May 13, 2025

Andrew Saxe, VP of Product at Smartling, shares insights from his journey in transforming manual translation services into AI-driven workflows. He explores the ethical dilemmas and challenges posed by AI adoption, detailing strategies to balance efficiency with quality in translation. Saxe discusses the evolving demand for new skills in the workplace and the importance of addressing the AI hype cycle. He also highlights innovative concepts like five coding that enhance team collaboration, showcasing a future where technology and human oversight go hand in hand.

27:10

Episode guests

Andrew Saxe

AI Summary

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

The integration of AI in translation services is reshaping workflows, shifting human roles from repetitive tasks to quality assurance and nuanced contributions.

Leaders in the translation industry are facing ethical challenges in workforce transitions while striving to maintain translation quality and job security.

Deep dives

Reality of the AI Revolution

The current AI revolution is creating a new reality that is far from utopian, as it presents complex challenges for both leaders and individual contributors. The discussions surrounding workplace ethics, quality of output, and the impact on future work outcomes are particularly significant. This environment provides an opportunity for organizations to learn from each other’s experiences and make informed decisions about the integration of AI into their workflows. The translation industry, represented by companies like Smartling, is particularly illustrative of these transformations, demonstrating how AI is reshaping established processes.

Intro

2min

AI's Impact on Translation Services

14min

Navigating AI Adoption: Strategies and Challenges in Organizations

2min

Navigating the AI Hype Cycle

5min

Harnessing Five Coding for Collaborative Innovation and AI Integration

3min

Enhancing Management Skills Among Individual Contributors

2min

As we navigate the AI revolution, we’re collectively creating a new reality that’s far from utopian, and both leaders and individual contributors are struggling to find their way through the uncertainty. Questions around workplace ethics, output quality, and long-term impacts are top of mind for many, but this presents an opportunity to learn from each other’s breakthroughs and shape the future we want to see.

Andrew Saxe, VP of Product at Smartling, shares his experience leading a company that has evolved from manual translation services to integrating AI-driven workflows. He discusses how to distinguish real AI value from hype, the ethical considerations leaders must consider, and the rapid shift in the skills that are in highest demand in today’s AI-driven landscape.

Resources from this episode: