Customer Success Playbook S3 E36 - Ken Sandy - AI Will Revolutionize the Skills PM's Need

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It’s AI Friday on the Customer Success Playbook! In this forward-looking finale of our three-part series with Ken Sandy, we explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping product leadership. From discovery and prototyping to ethical decision-making and team collaboration, AI is not just changing the tools—it's changing the very skills product managers need. Whether you’re a product leader or part of a cross-functional team, this conversation offers a roadmap for navigating the AI evolution without losing your human touch.

Detailed Description: In this must-listen conclusion to our three-part series, Roman Trebon and Kevin Metzger sit down once again with Ken Sandy, author of The Influential Product Manager, to dissect how AI is revolutionizing the way product managers work.

Ken kicks things off with a big-picture perspective: AI's impact will be long-term and transformative, but not immediate or magic. Drawing from past technological revolutions, he explains the familiar hype cycle—from inflated expectations to eventual disruption—and positions AI right in the middle of it.

But the real gold is in the practical insights. Ken dives into how AI will affect key aspects of product management:

• Discovery: Use AI to mine customer support data, user behavior, and feedback at scale, unlocking deeper, faster insights.
• Prototyping: Rapidly build and iterate concepts using AI-driven tools, allowing for early validation (and quick abandonment of bad ideas).
• Experimentation: Run more robust, scalable tests that bring clarity to customer behavior and optimize solutions in-market.

Ken also delivers a reality check: AI is powerful, but it doesn’t replace collaboration. The partnership between product, design, engineering, and CX is more essential than ever. He warns against operating in silos or outsourcing ethical judgment to machines. AI may hallucinate; your team still needs to lead.

Plus, the group tackles the tricky topic of technical debt, the future of documentation, and why empathy remains a product leader’s superpower. This isn’t just a conversation about AI—it’s a compelling call to reimagine how we solve problems together.

If you want to lead with AI rather than be led by it, this episode is your launchpad.

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Keywords:

• Artificial Intelligence
• Product Management
• Customer Success Playbook
• Strategic Innovation
• Discovery
• Prototyping
• Experimentation
• Cross-functional Collaboration
• Technical Debt
• Empathy in Leadership

Check out https://funnelstory.ai/ for more details about Funnelstory. You can also check out our full video review of the product on YouTube at https://youtu.be/4jChYZBVz2Y.

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You can find Kevin at:
Metzgerbusiness.com - Kevin's person web site
Kevin Metzger on Linked In.

You can find Roman at:
Roman Trebon on Linked In.