Taylor Halversen-Bates is a University of Utah MBA graduate and current senior product manager at Grain, where she leads the creation of AI-driven technology to revolutionize meeting productivity.
Recently, she hosted a Lassonde for Life workshop called “Making AI-Centered Products,” aimed at helping founders not just keep up, but become disrupters.
“We don’t know how long the window is for AI to be fresh and new, but what we do know is that it has not yet maximized its value potential,” Halversen-Bates said. “It’s time to ride this next wave rather than getting swallowed up — in fact, the long-term success of your business depends on it.”
A new kind of thinking
Traditional innovation and entrepreneurial thinking won’t be enough in the new landscape, Halversen-Bates said.
“Obsolescence is happening at a remarkable pace; the internet as we know it today took a decade, some would argue maybe two, for it to completely disrupt the way we interact,” Halversen-Bates said. “Now AI tools, like ChatGTP and Copilot have reached millions of users in a few months.”
The newest innovation is also already on its way to being outdated.
“AI learns, so we’re not stuck with one iteration — it’s growing and changing and developing, getting smarter the more it’s used,” she said.
Innovators must jump on board this shift in mindset.
“AI is outcome, rather than feature, focused,” Halversen-Bates said. “Historically, people have thought of products in terms of features. AI destroys that model of thinking, instead asking what value is produced and how it can be delivered: now, a CRM model becomes less about data entry and more about keeping deals on track behind the scenes.”
Product longevity
Whether your product is built for the long haul during this AI revolution is an issue of whether AI becomes bolt-on functionality or if your business is genuinely tech-centered, Halversen-Bates said.
“‘Bolt-on’ developments are something that was given very little thought to how it would be implemented,” she said. “These additions, particularly when it comes to AI, are largely just stuck on with the developers just hoping consumers find value in it.”
Halversen-Bates said the desire for media coverage is often the driver for this lazy technique.
“Many of the companies utilizing bolt-on AI technologies and integrating them into their product are doing it for media buzz,” she said. “It’s become a gimmick or a trend. When you see an announcement, you have to think: are they really ‘powered by AI,’ or just taping AI onto your existing product?”
Not only are bolt-on developments flimsy, but they may also cause issues in the long run.
“If it’s not truly integrated into the product, it can throw your workflow out of whack,” she said. “I’ve seen it cause confusion and eventually, serious friction if not really helpful.”
In contrast, tech-centered products can do the heavy lifting.
“This is true of all technology, not just AI, but with a tech-centered product, you reimagine the entire user experience around the value that technology provides,” she said. “This addition becomes the core, or even takes the place, of a workflow. It’s transformative, timesaving, and can lead to sustainable advantages.”
“Value” is subjective
“It’s all about the value proposition,” she said. “Technology is only as beneficial as the value it unlocks for both users and systems.”
Halversen-Bates counseled founders to seriously consider what value they’re trying to create, then pinpoint where AI can be leveraged to deliver that value more efficiently, rather than starting with an add-on.
“Take into account the unique dimensions of AI,” she said. “Now, AI has made it so conversational data is the norm, along with intense personalization and customization.”
While you may be tempted to create your own chatbots or systems and expect users to come to you, Halversen-Bates said that’s likely not the best course of action.
“I’ve seen companies fall into the trap of wanting to bring users and have them engage within their own world. The thing is, in this AI-environment, users are curating their own experiences. Don’t get bogged down by your incumbent company — we need to meet users where they are rather than bringing them to you.”
Leveling up
“It’s more common than you’d think to see companies — even very large ones — misusing AI, or missing out on opportunities,” Halversen-Bates said.
E-commerce sites seem to be especially prone. Halversen-Bates said she was shopping online and put red shoes in her cart — suddenly, all her recommendations were for red clothing.
“That’s clearly not what I was looking for,” she said. “The site was taking the same logic they had before and dumping it into a new medium: AI.”
Halversen-Bates pointed to companies like Calendly, who now uses predictive autonomous scheduling based on behavior and context, and Canva, using magic studio with generative design, brand kit creation, and content ideation baked into the creative process, as examples of integrated AI experiences.
“Products and companies that stick around are those who integrate AI into solving customer needs and company workflows,” she said. “But once that integration is accomplished, it’s not over – you need to be prepared to disrupt your work again and again in service of staying on top of change.”
