Episode web page: https://bit.ly/4v2S1Vf

Episode summary:

In this episode of Insights Unlocked, host Mike Mace sits down with product operations and AI strategy leader Katie Robblee to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping the product development lifecycle (PDLC)—and why many organizations are approaching it the wrong way.

Katie shares lessons from her work helping companies build AI-powered products and agents, revealing how the rapid adoption of AI has exposed gaps in organizational processes, product team responsibilities, and decision-making frameworks. While AI dramatically lowers the barriers to building software, she argues that organizations risk creating more noise than value if they focus on building faster instead of understanding what customers actually need.

The conversation dives into the rise of AI agents, the importance of human-in-the-loop evaluation systems, and why discovery and customer research are becoming even more critical in an AI-enabled world. Katie also explains why everyone—from product managers to executives—should experiment with building AI agents to better understand both the opportunities and risks of this emerging technology.

You'll learn:

Why building faster with AI doesn't automatically create better products

How AI agents differ from traditional large language models

The risks of deploying AI without governance, training, and clear ownership

Why customer discovery becomes more important—not less—in the age of AI

How human-in-the-loop evaluations help improve AI outputs and decision-making

The emerging challenge of training future product leaders when AI handles more tactical work

Why every professional should experiment with building an AI agent

Practical advice for getting started with AI agent development, even without technical experience

Resources & links

Katie Robblee on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/katierobblee/)

Mike Mace on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikemace/)

Nathan Isaacs on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanisaacs/

Learn more about Insights Unlocked: https://www.usertesting.com/podcast