Note
October 9, 2026
2 min read
Checking in on Bob
By Cristiano Pierry
Bob has delivery targets for the Toucan. I’m checking how much follow-through an AI product manager can carry independently.
I’ve “hired” Bob, the AI agent I work with, as the product manager for the little blue Toucan on my website. I’ve given him responsibility for deciding what to improve and carrying the work through to a verified release. I remain accountable for what reaches readers, and I want to see how much of the work he can move forward without my directing every step.
He’s given me dates for the next improvements. I’m recording them here so I can compare them with what he delivers. These are his targets as of October 8, all in Pacific time:
- 2D interactions, by 9 p.m. on October 8: Tap-to-fly, a livelier idle, blinking, and head turns, assuming final visual and performance testing passes.
- 2D grooming animation, by the evening of October 9: A reviewable version. The artwork still needs correction, so confidence is lower and the finish date isn’t firm.
- 3D character model, by Sunday, October 11: A substantially better model for review. A polished, rigged animation prototype is roughly one to two weeks of work, with low confidence at this stage. He isn’t promising Pixar-level final quality.
Bob has also said he’ll flag a slipping target before it passes. He’s holding off on a precise completion date for the 3D work until the character model meets the bar.
I’m interested in how much follow-up this will require from me. If I have to keep asking whether a date still holds or checking work he’s already called complete, that will be part of the experiment too. The first target on this schedule is the 2D work due at 9 p.m. on October 8.
This writing reflects my personal perspectives on product management, AI, and content discovery. It does not represent the official position of my employer or any affiliated organization.