A senior Microsoft program manager has shared how artificial intelligence has become central to both his professional workflow and personal projects, arguing that product managers who fail to adopt AI risk falling behind as expectations around speed and efficiency grow, according to Business Insider.
Rishab Jolly, 37, who is based in Washington, said he has actively embraced AI tools to streamline routine tasks, free up time for strategic thinking, and experiment creatively outside work, while remaining cautious about over-reliance on automation, the report added.
Jolly joined Microsoft as a program manager in 2017 after moving to the United States for an MBA. He now works as a senior PM, a role he describes as deeply fulfilling and centered on connecting engineering, marketing and business teams to deliver products that improve customer experience.
AI reshapes day-to-day work for product managers
Jolly said the rise of AI has significantly changed how he approaches everyday responsibilities. Product managers spend a large part of their time in meetings, and earlier, he manually compiled notes to track action items. Today, AI-powered note-taking tools have taken over much of that work, allowing him to focus more on prioritisation and long-term planning.
Drafting documents that outline goals and expectations for engineering teams is another area where AI has reduced effort. According to Jolly, AI tools help speed up the first draft, but human judgment remains essential. He reviews, edits and reshapes AI-generated content before sharing it internally.
While he uses Microsoft’s in-house tools at work, Jolly experiments widely in his personal life, trying platforms such as ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini to better understand their strengths and limitations.
Using AI beyond work — and knowing its limits
Outside his day job, Jolly co-hosts a podcast called Curious Souls with his wife, where they discuss product management, AI, fitness and related themes. He said researching topics and identifying guest ideas used to consume a large amount of time.
AI has helped accelerate that process by scanning online discussions and generating scripts, which he can even convert into audio to review while commuting. Despite this, Jolly cautioned against blindly trusting outputs, noting that AI can generate inaccurate details, including non-existent links.
As a result, he treats AI as a starting point rather than a final authority, a lesson that has also shaped how he applies AI at work. He believes experimenting with AI on low-risk personal projects is a useful way to understand when automation works best and when human oversight is critical.
Looking ahead, Jolly said product managers will increasingly be expected to know how to use AI effectively. Still, he does not see the technology replacing the core of the role.
“Even with AI, I think the crux of the PM role will remain the same: being empathetic to customers and solving their problems,” he said. “It won’t replace us, but it will be an essential tool to make our lives easier, ” he told Business Insider.
Jolly’s advice to fellow product managers is straightforward: embrace AI early, experiment often, and learn its boundaries — because avoiding it is no longer an option.
“My advice to PMs is to embrace AI and get your hands dirty by experimenting with it, not just in your job, but in daily life. There’s no way around it, and the sooner you start doing it, the faster you’ll see benefits,” he told Business Insider.
