AI game-changer in product management — Expert

A leading product management expert, Babalola Oladeji, has described Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a game-changer in modern product management, particularly in Nigeria and across Africa, where product teams often face limited data, fragmented systems, and real-world constraints such as infrastructure and affordability.

Speaking on the role of AI in product management, Oladeji, a certified AI in Product Management professional, noted that AI helps product managers navigate complex environments by surfacing patterns quickly, enabling faster and more informed decision-making.

“AI can show us how people actually think, not how we assume they think,” he said, citing an example of using AI to analyze WhatsApp complaints and support tickets to identify behavioral patterns.

According to Oladeji, AI transforms messy, real-world behavior into usable signals. Globally, AI helps product teams personalize and optimize products, while in Africa, it enables teams to design smarter products with fewer resources.

The expert emphasized that AI should act as a “second brain”, not as a decision-maker, and highlighted its applications across discovery, strategy, experimentation, and execution.

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“Clear problem definition, measurable outcomes, and trust built into the experience are how AI truly improves products, not just productivity,” Oladeji stressed.

Addressing the debate around the title “AI Product Manager”, he clarified that AI is not replacing traditional product managers but represents an evolution. AI-powered PMs use AI to work smarter, while PMs building AI products are responsible for ensuring the technology works correctly.

In Nigeria, where AI adoption is still in its early stages, this distinction is particularly important in sectors such as healthcare, where trust and explainability are critical.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE