Product teams are moving fast on AI—but speed without discovery is a trap. Teresa Torres—author of Continuous Discovery Habits and one of the most trusted voices in modern product thinking—reveals why teams that skip real customer contact are building faster and failing faster.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to:

• Avoid the AI discovery trap: Don’t fall for synthetic users, fake insights, and “discovery theater.” Teresa shows how to ground AI-assisted research in real human context so your data actually leads to defensible products.
  

• Use AI to think deeper, not cheaper: Learn the high-leverage ways AI can supercharge synthesis, spot patterns across thousands of signals, and accelerate prototyping—without replacing the empathy and nuance only humans can see.
  

• Turn discovery into your moat: Discover why first-hand customer contact is still the ultimate competitive edge—and how teams using AI to augment discovery (not outsource it) are finding opportunities their competitors miss.
  

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This is episode 44 of the Design of AI Podcast.

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Our next AI Product Strategy Workshop is on November 20. In this 3-hour online session, you’ll learn our framework for discovering and pressure-testing disruptive AI product ideas. Get details at https://designof.ai/workshop.

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This episode was hosted by:

Arpy Dragffy Guerrero (Founder & Principal Strategist PH1 Research) ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/adragffy/⁠ 

Brittany Hobbs https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittanyhobbs/ 

And if you want more AI strategy & research content, subscribe to our substack newsletter at ⁠https://designofai.substack.com/⁠ 

This episode is brought to you by PH1 Research, a research & strategy consultancy specialized in mapping the future of your business & product. Get more info at ⁠PH1.ca⁠ 

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Teresa Torres is a globally recognized product discovery coach and author of Continuous Discovery Habits. Through her company, Product Talk, she’s helped thousands of teams build the habits that make products succeed: weekly customer conversations, continuous assumption testing, and opportunity mapping that ties directly to outcomes.

She also hosts two podcasts—All Things Product (with Petra Wille) and Just Now Possible, where she interviews product teams building the next generation of AI-driven experiences.

Links:

• Blog: ⁠ProductTalk.org⁠

• Community: ⁠Members.ProductTalk.org⁠

• Product Talk Academy: ⁠Learn.ProductTalk.org⁠

• Twitter: ⁠https://twitter.com/ttorres⁠

• Linkedin: ⁠http://linkedin.com/in/teresatorres/⁠

  YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/ProductTalkVideos⁠