My 7 AI Side Projects - and why they are my PM Secret Weapon

How tinkering fuels my craft & why you might want to start your own AI explorations.

I was at an “executive dinner” tonight (hence the late Thursday post), hosted by Miro, and the conversation around the table was insightful. There were senior leaders from various companies, all diving deep into AI and its impact on the product development lifecycle – everything from team dynamics and evolving roles (PM, Eng, UX, Sales) to what to look for when building AI-focused teams.

It was an enlightening evening, full of great ideas. But one thing really stood out to me: I found myself repeatedly pulling out my phone to showcase several of my "AI side projects." These little experiments, born out of curiosity and a desire to play, sparked some of the most engaging discussions.

The importance of actively experimenting with AI and staying on top of trends was a recurring theme. The consensus? A natural curiosity and a hands-on approach to these new tools are becoming critical skill sets. For me, one of the best ways to embody this is through my personal AI projects.

So, I wanted to share a few of them with you. Not because they're finished masterpieces (far from it!), but in hopes they might spark some inspiration and show that learning and creativity can happen in the most unexpected ways.

My Growing List of AI Tinkering Adventures:

1. Product Playbook - "Build. Ship. Repeat."
   I have a soft spot for gorgeous coffee table books and impactful, memorable phrases – those little nuggets of wisdom like "Don’t let perfect be the enemy of accomplished." My vision is to create a beautifully designed "Product Playbook" featuring my favorite motivating phrases, each accompanied by (of course) stunning, AI-generated artwork.

2. Personal Website Revamp
   My personal website is due for an upgrade! I'm envisioning an interactive timeline showcasing my career journey and accomplishments. I’ve been vibe coding this with Gemini Canvas, and while it’s still a work in progress, the potential to create something truly unique and engaging is exciting.

3. The "Perfect" Writing Prompt
   While I always start with my own thoughts for any writing, I lean on AI (specifically Gemini with a very detailed System Instruction) to help polish and refine the output to match my authentic voice. Even then, I always edit further. But I'm constantly iterating on this "meta prompt" to make the collaboration even smoother and the initial drafts even better.

4. #NotSoSimpleSalads (and Beyond!)
   This is a passion project years in the making: a cookbook compiling my absolute favorite salad recipes. The challenge? My home-shot photos, while delicious, aren't quite "cookbook professional." So, I've been experimenting with AI to generate photorealistic and stunning salad images that will truly make the recipes pop. Once this one's done, I have a whole series planned – healthy bowls, appetizers, you name it!

5. #AIMomPlaybook
   I recently started an Instagram account, @AIMomPlaybook, to share fun ways I'm using AI to make parenting more engaging and magical with my kids. This is also becoming the home for several kid-focused AI side projects:

   • Nursery Rhyme Videos: My kids are currently obsessed with Mother Goose. What better way to engage them than with custom videos of their favorite rhymes, brought to life with tools like Veo 3 and Gemini?

   • The Animation Fairy: When my daughter draws something, I snap a picture and use AI to animate it. Overnight, the "Animation Fairy" works her magic, and my daughter wakes up to see her creation come to life!

   • Yosemite Adventures Coloring Book: I'm planning a coloring book for my girls featuring 10 iconic Yosemite spots, complete with fun facts and a coloring page for each.

   • "Purple Urple" Music Video: This might be my most ambitious kid project yet! My eldest's favorite song is "Mellow Yellow." I used AI to rewrite it about her favorite color, purple. She sang each verse, and now the task is to stitch it all together, generate a music video, and add background music.

6. Marvin The Magician
   Growing up, my mom used to tell my sister and me enchanting, made-up stories about "Marvin the Magician." They were pure joy. I want to record my mom retelling these stories for my kids and then use AI to turn them into a series of illustrated short stories or even animated videos.

7. Ron, King of the Neighborhood
   Our neighborhood has a beloved three-legged orange cat named Ron who is the constant star of our local WhatsApp chat. I desperately want to create an illustrated children's book (which, let’s be honest, the entire neighborhood will love) about Ron's antics, based on the stories and photos shared by neighbors, with all images brought to life by AI. It would be the perfect gift for everyone on our street!

That’s my current (and ever-growing) list. I find immense joy in these projects, squeezing in time whenever I can. Carving out moments to be creative and constantly giving myself reasons to use these different AI tools isn't just for fun – though it absolutely is! It also sharpens my craft as a PM and deepens my intuition for product taste and what's possible.

Staying hands-on, playing, and experimenting are, in my opinion, some of the most important things we can do to not just keep up with AI, but to truly understand its potential and lead the way in building the next generation of amazing products.