Avoiding over-reliance on AI

Consider this scenario: after seeing Claude write excellent PRDs, your team stops writing original documents. Every user story, technical spec, and strategy doc starts with AI generation. 6 months later, your product vision feels generic, and team members struggle to think strategically without AI prompts.

Use AI to enhance, not replace, product thinking. Start with human ideas and use AI to expand, challenge, or refine them. Write your first draft, then ask AI for alternatives. Brainstorm features yourself, then use AI to spot gaps. This maintains your product instincts while leveraging AI's processing power.

Schedule regular "AI-free" sessions. Run some sprint plannings, design reviews, and strategy sessions without any AI assistance. This keeps core product skills sharp and ensures your team can function if AI tools become unavailable. It also helps identify where AI truly adds value versus where it's become a crutch.