Google AIPM’s Complete AI Tool Stack for Product Managers
By: Marily Nika (guest) Host: Aakash Gupta Source: Aakash Gupta’s Newsletter Type: newsletter (podcast write-up)
Summary
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Key Ideas Extracted
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Notes
Overlaps significantly with the Claire Vo / Marily Nika episode on Lenny’s. This source adds the full six-tool stack breakdown and career advice for aspiring AI PMs. Consider processing together with 2026-02-08 Marily Nika PM AI Toolkit to avoid duplicating entries.
Raw Content
Author: Aakash Gupta Published: January 11, 2026
Overview
Marily Nika, an AI PM at Google with 11 years of experience, shares her essential toolkit for product management in the AI era. Rather than juggling dozens of applications, she has refined her workflow to six core tools used multiple times daily.
The Six-Tool Stack
1. Google AI Studio Used for rapid prototyping, this tool enables PMs to build functional applications in under 10 minutes. Nika emphasizes that “you have an idea” and can immediately visualize it without writing lengthy PRDs or waiting for stakeholder alignment. The new workflow involves prototyping first, then bringing engineers and scientists into collaborative refinement based on working models rather than documentation.
2. Opal A Google Labs experiment allowing users to type natural language descriptions that generate mini applications. The system expands simple prompts into comprehensive specifications, offering speed over granular control. Use Opal for quick iterations; employ AI Studio when maximum customization is needed.
3. Notebook LM Described as essential for domain expertise development, this research assistant ingests PDFs, videos, and documents to extract insights. Nika uses it for interview preparation, bootcamp judging, and synthesizing hundreds of hours of user research into actionable patterns.
4. Perplexity This tool’s underutilized feature filters searches through Reddit discussions only. PMs can discover what real users want by asking, “what features should I incorporate to maximize product-market fit chances?”
5. ChatGPT with Custom GPTs Nika maintains a trained PRD generator that captures her voice and methodology. She emphasizes normalizing AI assistance in professional work, stating that hiding AI usage is counterproductive in 2025.
6. Fireflies A meeting transcription service that joins calls across Zoom, Google Meet, and other platforms, ensuring consistent note-taking regardless of which tool an organization uses.
Key Insights
On AI at Work: “Don’t be embarrassed to admit that you use AI.” Nika stresses that people using these tools will outpace those who resist them.
On Career Development: Aspiring AI PMs should “be like a crab” — moving adjacent to existing expertise rather than starting from scratch. Understanding AI’s unique characteristics — data dependency, probabilistic nature — matters more than mastery coding skills.
On Future Trends: All product managers will eventually become AI product managers as AI features integrate into every product category.
Interview Red Flags
Candidates mixing product and program management roles signal incomplete understanding of core PM responsibilities. Strong AI PM candidates balance technical literacy with user-centered thinking.