Product Mgmt and AI in 2026

​10 questions we should be asking in 2026

1. ​Where does the PM function sit when eng or design teams can self-serve on specs, prioritization frameworks, and customer insights via AI? 

2. ​What skills remain relevant for PMs? What gets redundant for PMs?

3. ​Does AI really increase the productivity of PMs? How much, and where?

4. ​How does the PM: Engineer ratio change?

5. ​What new skills must PM develop?

6. ​How do we evaluate PM performance when AI does the legwork?

7. ​Which PM archetypes thrive vs. struggle? Which new archetypes emerge?

8. ​How does the change affect PMs at various levels? Aspiring PMs, IC PMs, Product leaders, VPs/CPOs?

9. ​What really is a builder PM? Does every PM need to be a builder PM?

10. ​Does the headcount of PMs increase or decrease?