ai evals for product managers

Listen now:Spotify // Applein this conversation, you’ll learn:* why ai demos feel magical but real product usage feels exhausting.* what ai evals actually are and why they are becoming essential to shipping ai products.* how reliability, not intelligence, determines whether users trust ai.* what product managers must build around models to make them usable in the real world.where to find prayerson:* x: https://x.com/iamprayerson* linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prayersonchristian/in this episode, we cover:(0:00 - 2:30) the ai magic show* why polished demos create unrealistic expectations about ai capabilities.* how the first experience with a tool feels fundamentally different from daily usage.(2:30 - 5:30) the reality check* what happens when you try to use ai for real work.* why users end up double checking, rewriting, and correcting outputs.(5:30 - 8:30) the hidden problem* why the issue is not simply model intelligence.* what gap exists between model performance and product reliability.(8:30 - 12:00) understanding ai evals* what “evaluation” means in ai systems compared to traditional software testing.* why variable outputs change how quality must be measured.(12:00 - 15:30) shipping ai safely* how teams monitor model behavior after launch.* why guardrails matter more than prompts.(15:30 - 19:00) the new job of the product manager* how product managers move from feature planning to system design.* what responsibilities emerge when you ship probabilistic software.(19:00 - 22:30) trust as a product feature* how reliability shapes user adoption and retention.* why consistent behavior matters more than impressive responses.(22:30 - 26:00) building feedback loops* how real usage data improves ai products over time.* why continuous measurement becomes part of the product itself.(26:00 - 29:30) from tools to systems* how ai products differ from traditional saas applications.* why orchestration, monitoring, and evaluation become core infrastructure.(29:30 - 33:00) the future of ai products* how companies that operationalize evaluation gain an advantage.* what separates experimental ai apps from dependable platforms.be part of the conversation at iamprayerson. subscribe at no cost to get new posts and episodes delivered to you. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit prayersonsnewsletter.substack.com