#62 You’re Using AI the Wrong Way! A Google Labs PM Reveals Why ft. Jaclyn Konzelmann, Google Labs Product Lead

This episode stayed with me long after we hit stop.

I went into this conversation thinking we’d talk about AI tools, models, and speed. But what it really became was a conversation about why so many of us still don’t build, even when AI makes things feel easier than ever.

In this episode, I spoke with Jaclyn Konzelmann, a Product Manager at Google Labs, someone who spends her days working on AI experiments where nothing is fully clear, roadmaps keep shifting, and the only real way forward is to build and learn in public.

What stood out to me wasn’t the tools.It was how differently she thinks about building.

We spoke deeply about things I know many of us struggle with:

• Why most AI ideas never turn into real products
  

• The biggest mistake people make when building with AI
  

• Why overthinking kills momentum in the AI era
  

• How MVPs look different when execution becomes cheap
  

• Why curiosity matters more than clarity
  

• How to use AI as a thinking partner, not a shortcut
  

She also shared how she actually uses AI in real life, across work, side projects, writing, and even parenting, not in a polished or perfect way, but in a very human one. We discussed real workflows using tools like Gemini, NotebookLM, Mixboard, and Opal, always coming back to the same question: are we actually building, or just consuming?

What I appreciated most about this conversation is how honest it felt. No hype. No pressure to “catch up.” Just a grounded perspective on what it means to build when things are uncertain, and why starting imperfectly matters more than waiting for clarity.

If you’ve been sitting on ideas, feeling overwhelmed by how fast AI is moving, or unsure where to begin, this episode might help you reframe things.

It definitely did for me.

To follow Jaclyn Konzelmann, do check here : 

Jaclyn KonzelmannProduct Manager, Google Labs

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaclynkonzelmann/X (Twitter): https://x.com/jacaluluBlog: https://blog.jaclynkonzelmann.com/

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About the host : 

       I’m Aishwarya, a product builder obsessed with turning raw ideas into real, working tools, especially with AI in the mix. Over the last 9+ years in SaaS, I’ve shipped zero-to-one products, scaled product marketing & GTM motions, and built across MarTech automation, real-time collaboration tools, and live event tech.

Today, I work hands-on as an AI-first builder & forward-deployed PM/Engineer, working closely with AI models, agents, and orchestration systems to shape next-gen AI products.

You can follow me here,

LinkedIn: https: //www.linkedin.com/in/aishwarya-ashok/

Twitter: https: //x.com/aishashok14

My product memos: https://aishashok.com/

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Timestamps: 

00:00:00 – Trailer / Hook

00:01:00 – Intro

00:03:05 – AI newness in today’s world

00:05:00 – How she adopted and adapted to AI models

00:06:25 – Execution is cheap, creativity is the bottleneck

00:07:35 – Why people hesitate to start with AI

00:09:15 – How to break the fear and just begin

00:11:46 – Curiosity over clarity

00:15:09 – Side projects as a way to learn AI

00:17:48 – Starting with ideas, not tools

00:25:33 – Two important keys for building with AI

00:29:30 – Building in public & learning from users

00:32:40 – Mixboard: how real AI products evolve

00:36:00 – From MVP to features: learning from usage

00:39:20 – Using AI as a thinking partner

00:42:30 – Creativity, parenting & everyday AI use

00:45:50 – Opal, workflows & no-code AI building

00:49:10 – AI inside teams: roles are blurring

00:52:20 – The future of building with AI

00:55:10 – Staying curious without losing original thinking

00:58:30 – Final reflections: why starting matters

01:01:20 – Outro