AI expands our range. Expertise gives us depth.

AI is changing the range of product work. More people can now reach into parts of the product-development lifecycle that once sat outside their role: research, strategy, roadmapping, design, experimentation, engineering, architecture, quality, security, and reliability.

A product manager can prototype. A designer can test interaction logic. An engineer can explore customer research. A data scientist can help shape product strategy. A marketer or merchandiser can reason more directly about the product systems behind the experience.

That broader reach does not mean everyone should become a shallow generalist. The model I find more useful looks like the Greek letter π.

The horizontal bar represents the range AI extends. We can reach further across the system than before. The vertical bars represent depth: one or two disciplines where a person has real craft, judgment, pattern recognition, and accountability.

Depth matters because AI can help someone move across the surface area of product development without automatically knowing what good looks like in a particular context. It does not arrive with the organization's history, the customer's nuance, the technical constraints, or the failure modes that experienced practitioners recognize. People have to bring that judgment into the work.

The leverage appears when a small group combines broader range with complementary depth. A product leader who can prototype can make strategy concrete earlier. A designer who understands data can test the behavior behind an interaction. An engineer who understands strategy can see which technical choices carry product consequences.

That team can move from idea to prototype to learning with fewer lossy handoffs. The goal is not for everyone to do everything. It is for people to cross old boundaries without abandoning the expertise that makes their judgment valuable.

Use AI to expand your range. Keep deepening the craft that lets you recognize when the work is actually good.