Product managers are using AI to build functional prototypes, fix minor code issues, and get on-demand coaching - reshaping the job beyond traditional roadmap planning. Lorilyn McCue, an AI product manager at Superhuman and a former Apache helicopter pilot, said these tools let her skip static mockups and communicate faster with her team.
McCue joined Superhuman in 2023 after a career that included flying Apaches in the US Army, teaching at West Point, and product management roles at Google and Slack. She is responsible for prioritizing features and ensuring they meet customer needs. Superhuman's recent launch of an MCP server, which connects the email app to AI tools like Claude and ChatGPT, nearly doubled daily AI usage among users, she said.
From cockpit to product management
After flying helicopters in combat zones and teaching physical education at West Point, McCue decided she had "done everything I wanted to do in the military." She pursued an MBA and landed a product management internship at Google. "For me, it was the perfect transition from the military into tech," she said.
McCue joined Slack in 2016 as a product manager on the growth team, running experiments to help new users navigate the platform. She described the work as "a lot of velocity adventure every time."
AI is reshaping the PM toolbox
AI tools have changed how McCue communicates ideas to her engineering team. Instead of building "ridiculous mocks" in Google Slides, she now uses Claude to create functional prototypes. "Now I can go into Claude and say, 'Hey, I want you to make a mock of this. I want you to make it functional, so when I click here, it does this,'" she said. "I can just communicate so much faster to my team."
The shift also lets PMs fix minor coding issues themselves. "It's really exciting to be able to take some of the burden of these small things off of the engineers and to be able to also be a doer yourself," McCue said. Her hands-on approach fits into a broader shift toward AI for product development, where PMs increasingly act as citizen developers rather than just spec writers.
McCue also uses AI as a thought partner to talk through notes and handle situations that arise. "You get a coach available at all times," she said.
The future of the product manager role
McCue expects the role to become more cross-functional and less focused on tactical planning. "I think the product manager job is going to be more talking to the other people that are leading the robots," she said. "And making sure that we are tight and close in sync."
Why this matters for product development professionals
For product managers, the takeaway is clear: the skills of prototyping, coding, and cross-functional coordination are becoming core to the job. Tools like Claude and ChatGPT are lowering the barrier to building functional interfaces and automating routine tasks. For product managers looking to build these skills, an AI Learning Path for Product Managers offers structured training on prototyping, strategy, and cross-functional work.
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