how our job will evolve and even exist than now with the emergence of AI Brokers. However let me be upfront that AI instruments don’t change the basic job of the PM, which is to establish the necessary issues to unravel and information the perfect concepts to implementation. AI Brokers can positively increase and, in some instances, change sure actions, and that may be a good factor.
Don’t give in to alarmist narratives of how your job will probably be negatively impacted. Every PM function is exclusive. Whereas we share frequent facets: create product ideas, outline necessities, iterate with prospects, GTM, the day-to-day work of a social media PM may be very completely different from the work of a cloud infrastructure PM, requiring completely different facets to be automated. Because the mini-CEO of your product, solely you determine what is required for achievement. So try to be the one to determine how your job will evolve to make your product profitable. You might be within the driver’s seat to decide on what to enhance or automate with AI brokers to carry out your job higher. A latest Stanford analysis paper defines a helpful framework for making these choices and divulges that employee need for automation is extra of a defining issue for profitable adoption than simply technical feasibility.
The Human-Centric Framework for AI Adoption
The Stanford research sheds mild on methods AI brokers can profit work. It introduces the Human-Centric Automation Matrix, a 2×2 plotting Employee Want in opposition to AI Functionality, to assist prioritize AI automation of PM duties. Highlighting that staff need to automate tedious, repetitive duties however are deeply involved about dropping management and company. An awesome majority of staff within the research nervous about accuracy and reliability of AI, with concern of job loss and lack of oversight as different issues. A living proof in highlighting the dangers of full autonomy is the latest situation with Replit wiping out a complete database of an organization, fabricating knowledge to cowl up bugs and ultimately apologizing (See FastCompany).
This belief deficit logically guidelines out full autonomous AI for high-stakes communication with prospects or distributors communications. The choice is clearly for AI taking a partnership or assistive function. The paper introduces the Human Company Scale (HAS), to measure the diploma of automation (cf. levels of autonomy in self-driving automobiles):
- H1 (no human involvement): The AI agent operates totally autonomously.
- H2 (excessive automation): The AI requires minimal human oversight.
- H3 (equal associate): Human and AI have equal involvement.
- H4 (partial automation): The AI is a software that requires vital human course.
- H5 (human involvement important): The AI is a part that can’t perform with out steady human enter.
Most staff are pretty comfy with the H3-H5 vary, preferring AI to be a associate or a software and never a alternative. The choice for the PM isn’t simply what to automate but in addition to which diploma we must always surrender management to the AI Agent.
The idea is defined higher with a 2×2 matrix with Automation Functionality on the X-axis and Automation Want on the Y-axis. The 4 quadrants are categorized as:
- Inexperienced Mild Zone: Excessive automation need and excessive functionality
- Purple Mild Zone: Low need and excessive functionality
- R&D Alternative Zone: Excessive need however low functionality
- Low Precedence Zone: Low need and low functionality
The framework helps decide which jobs are potential and now have a excessive likelihood of getting adopted within the office.
Placing the Framework into Motion
As a substitute of blindly following mandates to “use AI Brokers” PMs ought to do what they do greatest – suppose strategically on what’s greatest for the enterprise. Use this 2×2 to establish the areas ripe for automation that can have probably the most affect and hold your workforce fortunately productive.
- Inexperienced Mild Zone: These can be the highest precedence. Automating market insights, synthesizing buyer suggestions, and producing first drafts of PRDs are duties which can be each technically possible and extremely desired. They save time and cut back cognitive load, liberating you as much as do higher-level strategic work.
- Purple Mild Zone: Proceed with warning. AI has the flexibility to routinely generate advertising and marketing collateral, handle buyer communication or cope with vendor contracts, however PMs usually are not prepared to surrender management on these high-stakes duties. An error can have severe penalties and augmentation (H3-H4 on the HAS scale) could be the proper choice.
- R&D Zone: Have to innovate to get the tech able to automate the job. Whereas there’s a excessive need for automation however the tech is just not prepared, extra funding is required to get us there.
Most significantly, take cost. The PM-to-engineer ratio isn’t bettering anytime quickly. Including agentic capabilities to your toolkit is your greatest wager for scaling your affect. However drive with warning. To thrive and make your self indispensable, you have to be the one shaping the way forward for your function.
Key takeaways
- Prioritize Want Over Feasibility: The Human-Centric Automation Matrix is a strong software. It enhances conventional instruments (e.g., Affect/Effort, RICE, Kano) by contemplating adoption and belief, and never simply functionality. True success is in constructing AI instruments that your workforce really makes use of.
- Assume Company and Not Simply Automation: Use Human Company Scale (H1-H5) to find out the extent of automation. Knowledge-heavy and repetitive PM duties (e.g., market insights discovery, data-based prioritization) fall into the “Inexperienced Mild” zone as a result of excessive employee need and readiness for AI. These are additionally inputs to determination making, so essential checks and balances are already in place in subsequent steps. Others could fall into simply H4, as simply being a software. This method is helpful in managing threat and constructing belief.
- Give attention to augmentation in high-stakes areas: Inventive, strategic, or customer-facing duties (aka “Purple Mild” alternatives) match effectively with augmentation technique. Whereas AI will generate choices, analyze knowledge and supply insights, remaining choices and communications should stay with people.
- Core PM Expertise Are Extra Invaluable Than Ever: AI Brokers will deal with extra of the information-focused actions. We have to additional develop our uniquely human abilities: strategic considering, empathy, stakeholder administration, and organizational management.
The way forward for product administration will probably be formed by the alternatives of forward-thinking PMs, not by simply the AI’s capabilities. Essentially the most profitable and adopted approaches will probably be human-centric, specializing in what PMs really must excel. Those that grasp this strategic partnership with AI won’t solely survive but in addition outline the way forward for the function.
References
[1] Y. Shao, H. Zope, et al. (2025). “Way forward for Work with AI Brokers: Auditing Automation and Augmentation Potential throughout the U.S. Workforce.” arXiv preprint arXiv:2506.06576v2. https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.06576
[2] S. Lynch (2025). “What staff actually need from AI.” Stanford Report. https://information.stanford.edu/tales/2025/07/what-workers-really-want-from-ai
