In a recent LinkedIn post, Melissa Perri, founder of the Product Thinking® methodology, urges product leaders to resist the allure of the latest Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools and instead focus on solving core customer problems. Perri highlights a common pitfall she’s observed among product teams: burnout from trying to evaluate every new AI tool that emerges daily.
Perri emphasizes that most product managers and developers are not machine learning engineers and do not need to be. The key, she argues, is to avoid letting the fear of missing out (FOMO) dictate product decisions. She observed:
“The companies winning right now aren’t the ones implementing every AI feature or using every new AI tool. They’re the ones asking better questions: What specific problem are we trying to solve? Does this technology actually address that problem better than our current approach?”
Navigating the AI Hype Cycle
Perri points out that the constant influx of new AI technologies can be overwhelming. In her discussion, she notes that this pattern has been a recurring theme in interviews conducted for her “Product Thinking with Melissa Perri” podcast this year. Even highly skilled product teams struggle to navigate this landscape effectively.
She has witnessed teams dedicating significant time, sometimes weeks, to adopting new AI tools or integrating AI features, only to realize that a simpler, less resource-intensive solution could have addressed the underlying problem just as well, if not better. This highlights a critical need for strategic evaluation rather than reactive adoption.
The Problem-Centric Filter
To combat this trend, Melissa Perri advocates for using the core customer problem as a filter for evaluating any new technology, including AI. As she puts it:
“Use your core problem as a filter. Every shiny new tool should answer one question: does this move the needle on what matters most to our customers?”
This approach encourages a disciplined focus on customer value and business impact, ensuring that technology adoption serves a clear purpose. Perri suggests that instead of chasing every new AI feature, teams should rigorously assess whether a given technology genuinely solves a significant customer pain point or improves an existing solution in a meaningful way.
Staying Focused Amidst the Noise
Perri concludes her post by posing a direct question to her audience, encouraging reflection on their own strategies: “What problem are you solving, and how are you staying focused on it amid all the AI noise?”
This call to action underscores her central message: the true measure of success in product development lies not in the adoption of the latest technology, but in the consistent and effective resolution of customer problems. By maintaining a strong focus on the ‘why’ behind product decisions, teams can better harness the potential of AI without succumbing to the hype and the associated burnout.
📝 About This Content
This article is based on insights shared by Melissa Perri on LinkedIn.
📅 Originally posted on December 20, 2025 | View original post on LinkedIn →