AI is transforming product management, but where does it actually fit in your workflow? In this episode of The Product Porch, Zac Hays, Chief Product Officer at Luxury Presence, shares how his team used AI-powered prototyping to cut their design sprint time in half and generate 12 prototypes in a single day.Ryan, Todd, and Joe dig into what worked, what didn’t, and how AI is changing the product playbook. You’ll learn practical ways to integrate AI into your process, why speed doesn’t mean sacrificing creativity, and which tools can help you iterate faster and test ideas with real users—without waiting on designers or engineering. References & LinksFollow Zac Hays at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacthepm/Read Zac’s article on AI-Powered Design Sprints: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ai-powered-design-sprint-playbook-v01-zac-hays-iu1dc/?trackingId=Z%2FCq7FJmQ8O6PgubHhrTng%3D%3DV.0 Coding Tool: http://v0.dev/Bolt.new Coding Tool: http://bolt.new/User Feedback Tool: https://www.usertesting.com/Guy Kawasaki’s Remarkable People Podcast: https://guykawasaki.com/remarkable-people/ Show Notes: Episode 19 - How to Prototype 4X Faster with AI[1:30] Welcome Zac Hays to The Product PorchIntroducing Zac, Chief Product Officer at Luxury Presence, and why AI is shaking up product design.[2:40] “I don’t know if our playbook is relevant anymore.”Zac questions if traditional product processes still work in an AI-driven world.[3:42] Trying out new AI prototyping toolsIf a prototype can be built in minutes, how does that change the design sprint process?[5:51] Show and tell: Rapid-fire prototype demosEveryone builds and shares a 90-second prototype—what happens next?[7:10] Was there a lack of originality using AI?AI prototype tools work like ChatGPT—give a one-sentence prompt and watch the magic happen.[9:11] Apprehension and pushback: Is AI replacing jobs?Some skepticism, even from Zac. But every team member saw it through a different lens.[10:50] Bringing the team up to speed on AI toolsRyan puts AI to the test—writes two sentences, and Bolt builds an app instantly.[12:55] What was the real impact of this AI-powered sprint?Zac breaks down how the new process helped his team move faster and smarter.[15:15] Fast feedback: Validating and invalidating assumptions quicklyWithin a single sprint, the team learned what worked—and what didn’t.[17:57] The power of quickly invalidating your ideasWhy knowing what won’t work is just as valuable as knowing what will.[18:37] How explicit were assumptions in this AI-driven process?Turns out, it was ad hoc—but led to surprisingly valuable prototypes.[20:40] How often did AI hallucinate?When does AI “hallucination” turn into real creativity?[21:18] Unexpected discoveries: AI finds new sources of dataHow AI-led insights saved time and uncovered new possibilities.[23:00] How does this change the role of the product manager?The lines between PM, design, and engineering are getting blurry.[25:10] Expanding PM skills and abilitiesThis new approach makes explaining product vision easier than ever.[26:30] PM as an executive producer?Leveraging user video snippets to tell a story—way more powerful than a PRD.[27:45] The “Code Red” threat—will AI replace PMs?Zac shares which PM skills will survive (and thrive) in an AI-driven world.[29:02] Want to start using AI tools? Find a buddy!Grab a friend, experiment, and debrief. These tools are built for you![31:20] Todd’s silly story: Don’t be a dinosaurAt some point, you have to embrace AI—or risk becoming that person.[32:30] Joe asks: What’s the first step?Start small—go to bolt.new, type an idea, and see what happens.[33:30] Todd overachieves with AIZac says no need to overdo it. Ryan reminds us—be polite to AI. (Yes, say “thank you.”)[36:05] Todd goes full caveman—will grunting be the next AI skill?[36:54] What’s next for Zac?Limiting the number of people, getting user feedback faster—Prototype on Day 1, feedback on Day 2, refine on Day 3.[38:19] Where to find Zac? (Hint: LinkedIn!)[40:00] Key Takeaways Help keep the Product Porch lights on by giving at Patreon.com/TheProductPorch.Join our email list and never miss an episode at theproductporch.com
