Ep 79 - Building Products with AI: Hype, Reality, and What Actually Works

In this episode of Tales from the Pros, hosts Michael Georgiou and Eric Lawrence sit down with Imaginovation Chief Product Officer Zach Bruno to unpack one of the most talked-about topics in technology today: building products with AI. AI is everywhere right now. Startups are launching “AI-powered” products every day, founders believe they can build entire businesses with a single prompt, and companies are racing to integrate AI into everything they do. But how much of this is reality, and how much is hype? Zach shares a grounded perspective on where AI actually delivers value today, and where it still falls short. The conversation explores the difference between AI as an idea engine versus an execution tool , why engineers using AI will be far more powerful than non-technical founders trying to “vibe code” entire products, and why incremental AI usage often works better than attempting to build a full product with AI from day one. The team also dives into the broader implications of AI in product development, including how companies should think about customer value, the risks of using AI purely as a buzzword, and why the future of AI is likely more about human augmentation than human replacement . If you're building software, launching a startup, or simply trying to understand where AI is truly useful today, this episode offers a practical perspective on navigating the AI era responsibly and strategically. 🎯 Highlights You Won’t Want to Miss The current reality of building products with AI versus the hype surrounding it Why AI is better at idea generation than full product execution today The difference between vibe coding and engineering-led AI development When it actually makes sense to build parts of a product with AI Why startups shouldn't rely on AI alone to build scalable platforms The biggest risks companies overlook when implementing AI How AI can dramatically improve internal workflows and operations Why the future of AI is likely augmentation, not replacement 🎧 Listen and

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Ep 79 - Building Products with AI: Hype, Reality, and What Actually Works is an episode from Tales From The PROS by Michael Georgiou.

This episode is 33:40 long.

This episode was published on Mar 11, 2026.

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