Why Your AI Feature Is Stuck in Demo Mode

Product managers are shipping AI features like it's a sport. The problem is most of them are demos with a deadline, not products that actually work in production.

The article from O'Reilly lays out what PMs need to do differently: ship AI features that people use, not just features that get built. That means starting with a real problem instead of a real model. It means defining clear inputs and outputs before the code ships. It means measuring whether the feature actually moves the needle, not just whether it works in a demo.

Too many AI features chase novelty. They get built because the tech exists. They get launched at a conference. Then they sit there, waiting for someone to figure out what they're for. The ones that survive are the ones that solve a specific problem — like a cousin's side business figuring out inventory with a tool that doesn't require a PhD to use.

Why this matters for us:
AI features that actually work in production mean the tools la gente use every day — from la migra app to the banking tools — don't break on us when the hype dies down.