In a recent LinkedIn post, product management consultant Melissa Perri discusses a concerning trend she’s observing: the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as an excuse to bypass crucial customer discovery processes. Perri argues that this shortcut, driven by the allure of faster development cycles, ultimately leads to increased waste and organizational debt.
The Peril of Accelerated Waste
Perri highlights how the speed afforded by AI is being misconstrued as a reason to skip validation. She points out that the logic often heard is, “We can ship this in two weeks instead of three months, so why bother validating?” This, according to Perri, is a dangerous fallacy.
“You’re multiplying waste. AI accelerates execution. If you don’t know what’s right to build, building it faster just means you’re creating the wrong thing at 10x speed.”
As Melissa Perri notes, the traditional three-month development cycle, while slower, often served as a natural buffer, forcing teams to validate their ideas before committing significant resources. Now, with AI’s ability to rapidly iterate, Perri observes that teams are shipping multiple poorly-validated features in the time it previously took to build and test a single, more thoroughly vetted one. This rapid output of unvalidated ideas, she contends, contributes to significant organizational debt.
AI as an Enhancer, Not a Replacement, for Discovery
Contrary to the idea that AI diminishes the need for discovery, Perri asserts that leading companies are leveraging AI to *enhance* their understanding of customer needs and market opportunities. She provides examples of how AI can be applied:
- Sentiment analysis across vast numbers of customer interviews.
- Pattern recognition within complex usage data.
- Rapid A/B testing of various product approaches before any code is written.
According to Melissa Perri, these applications of AI augment the discovery process, providing deeper insights and reducing the risk of building ineffective solutions. She emphasizes that the goal should not be merely to build faster, but to learn faster.
“AI should give you more time for discovery, not less.”
Perri’s core message is a call to action for product teams and leaders. She challenges organizations to critically examine how they are integrating AI into their workflows. The key question, as posed by Perri, is whether AI is being used merely to accelerate execution or to fundamentally improve the learning process.
The True Value of AI in Product Development
Melissa Perri argues that the true value of AI in product development lies not in its ability to speed up the creation of potentially flawed products, but in its capacity to unlock deeper customer understanding and validate ideas more effectively. By using AI to enhance, rather than replace, discovery, companies can ensure they are building the *right* things, not just building things *right*. This strategic application of AI, Perri suggests, is what differentiates successful innovators from those merely chasing speed.
“Building the wrong thing fast doesn’t create value.”
In conclusion, Melissa Perri’s insights serve as a critical reminder for businesses navigating the AI revolution. She urges a return to foundational product management principles, emphasizing that speed without direction, powered by AI, can be a recipe for disaster. The focus, she advocates, must remain on learning and validation, with AI serving as a powerful tool to achieve these goals more efficiently.
📝 About This Content
This article is based on insights shared by Melissa Perri on LinkedIn.
📅 Originally posted on February 21, 2026 | View original post on LinkedIn →