Introduction

AI is changing how people use digital products, fast. If your product doesn't keep up, it might lose users and value overnight.

What's the problem it solves?

This article helps product teams figure out if their product is at risk of being replaced or hurt by AI tools. It gives a clear method to test your product's risk and shows how to plan better for the future.

Quick Summary

Some products like Stack Overflow and Chegg lost a lot of users because AI tools like ChatGPT gave people faster, easier answers. These changes are happening faster than ever, and many companies aren’t ready for it. The article shows that when customer habits change quickly, even big companies can be caught off guard.

To help teams deal with this, the article shares a checklist called the AI Disruption Risk Assessment. It looks at how your product is used, how it grows, how hard it is to copy, and how it makes money. You score each part to see how safe or risky your product is. This helps you know where you’re weak and what you need to fix.

Key Takeaways from the article

• AI is raising customer expectations very fast, which can break what used to be a great product-market fit.
• Some products are more at risk than others, depending on how they are used and who uses them.
• Tools like Stack Overflow lost traffic fast because AI now gives answers without needing the community.
• The article gives a 4-part test to score how risky your product is:
  • Use Case Risk: Is your product easy to replace with AI?
  • Growth Risk: Will AI break how you get new users?
  • Defensibility Risk: Can others copy you easily with AI?
  • Business Model Risk: Will AI change how you make money or increase your costs?
• If your score is high, your product is in danger and needs quick action.
• Even if your product is safe today, it won’t stay that way unless you keep adapting.

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