AI Can Build Faster. That Doesn’t Prove Anyone Needs It.

On October 26, Human × Intelligent published an episode featuring product leader Rich Mironov on whether AI will replace product managers. Its episode summary draws a useful distinction: generating software faster does not answer whether people need the product. Read the episode summary.

My take: speed is a build advantage, not a demand signal. Before expanding an AI prototype, choose one real customer task and test whether the result is useful enough to change what that person does. Set a short trial, name the evidence that would justify continuing, and agree on a stop condition—before the demo starts charming the room.

What would you want to see from users before deciding that a faster build is worth scaling?