What You’ll Learn:

• Why “free to build” doesn’t mean “no cost”


• How AI prototyping tools help with assumption testing


• Common pitfalls (and how to avoid them)


• Why engineering skills still matter in a no-code world


• The types of prototypes that are perfect for AI tools


• How these tools change team collaboration and speed

Key Takeaways:

• AI tools can help build usable prototypes in hours—not weeks.


• These tools are great for fast, interactive assumption tests.


• You still need engineering know-how to troubleshoot or guide LLMs effectively.


• Product teams benefit most when they build and test together.


• Even failed prototypes offer valuable learning.

Episode Quote:
“Even if the cost to build goes to zero, if you keep building the wrong thing, you're still wasting your life.” – Teresa Torres

Resources & Links:

• Follow Teresa Torres: https://ProductTalk.org


• Follow Petra Wille: https://Petra-Wille.com

Mentioned in this episode:

• Large language model (LLM)


• ChatGPT


• Claude (Anthropic API)


• Teresa’s Continuous Interviewing Course (where she introduced a custom chat interface app, allowing students to interact with a ChatGPT-style tool powered by her own prompts and proprietary data)


• Petra’s The PMwheel – a Compass for the Product Manager Development Journey


• Vibe coding


• Teresa’s Assumption Testing Course


• Jeff Patton’s drawing of the three people having different pictures in their head about one thing


• Replit


• V0.dev


• Bolt


• Lovable


• WindSurf