AI in Action: Mental Models for LLMs & AI-Powered Productivity Hacks

Join us for a deep dive into how product managers can think smarter about AI and work more efficiently with it. We’ll break down mental models for using LLMs and share practical, no-nonsense ways to use AI to boost your productivity!

Venue: Microsoft Reactor, Room Evergreen, 3709 157th Ave NE, Redmond, WA 98052

Agenda:
5:00 - 5:30 pm: Registration and Networking
5:30 - 7:00 pm: Presentations and Q&A
7:00 - 8:00 pm: More Networking

Presentation #1: Small Mental Models for Working with Large Language Models by Ishan Anand

Large language models (LLMs) can seem like magic, but building effective products requires understanding how they actually work. This talk cuts through the complexity to give product managers mental models they need to work effectively with LLMs and leverage them in their products. We'll demystify the technology behind LLMs and you'll learn practical ways to think about how LLMs process information, generate responses, and handle different types of tasks.

Whether you're building with ChatGPT, Claude, or other models, you'll gain a clearer understanding of LLM behavior that will help you make better product decisions and more effectively collaborate with engineering teams.

Presentation #2: Minions Not Magic: Mindset & Methods to Maximize the Benefits of AI by Eric Jensen

Building on Ishan’s talk, Eric will get into practical methods for leveraging AI daily. Knowing how LLMs operate is crucial, but there’s another ingredient — You! It starts with the right mindset, which requires understanding your own thought processes & ways of working. From there we layer on specific tactics and approaches to build systematized methods. The ultimate goal is to develop your own personally optimized approach to collaborating with AI.

Activities covered will include analysis, writing, image generation & editing, software development, plus how to combine them for maximal effect in specific scenarios. Eric aims to provide value for everyone, with an emphasis on business scenarios and typical product manager responsibilities. The session will be interactive with examples and live exercises.