AI is Moving Fast, and Innovation Doesn’t Happen in 30-Minute Calendar Blocks

If your teams don’t have time to think, they won’t be ready for what’s coming next

AI is moving faster than your org chart.

This week alone, ChatGPT launched a major image upgrade and I finally got my hands on what seems to be an upgraded version of Apple Intelligence’s Genmoji. These aren’t just fun features — they’re smoke signals. The next wave of AI just shipped — and most teams are still stuck in meetings.

Within minutes, I was creating Lego-style renderings of myself at a podium, speaking about this exact subject.

Then I played with ChatGPT’s new image tools and felt that same jolt of possibility. These tools are playful — but they also hint at a massive shift in how we’ll communicate, create, and lead.

I’ve worked in digital product management for 30 years, and I’ve never seen innovation land this fast — or with this much potential. And yet, most companies are still debating how to structure and strategize for AI, instead of creating the space to actually use it.

They’re rewriting job descriptions, figuring out who’s “in charge,” and deciding which roles — product managers, engineers, data scientists, UX specialists, product designers, solution architects — should be allowed to work on AI. Meanwhile, the technology is already reshaping how we build, design, and collaborate in real time.

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The Problem Isn’t Tools. It’s Time.

If your product and engineering teams are spending 7 — 8 hours a day in meetings, they don’t have the mental or emotional capacity to think creatively — let alone experiment with new AI capabilities.

You can’t innovate in 30-minute blocks squeezed between stakeholder updates and planning sessions.

Product teams need time for discovery. Engineers need slack time to play with APIs, test ideas, and rethink what’s possible. If you don’t build in that space, you’re not just slowing down innovation — you’re blocking it entirely.

One of my early tests with ChatGPT’s new image capabilities. This stuff is moving fast — and it’s only getting more capable.

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AI Will Not Wait for Your Planning Cycle

Right now, too many leaders are trying to whiteboard their way into an AI strategy. But this moment isn’t about perfect plans — it’s about building the muscles to adapt, fast.

Whatever we think we know about how to “handle” AI today will be outdated by next week.

We don’t need five-year AI roadmaps.

We need five-week learning loops.

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Why Downtime Actually Fuels Better Thinking

Let’s talk brain science for a second — because this isn’t just about work-life balance or giving your team a break. There’s real neuroscience behind why people need space to think.

When our brains aren’t focused on a task — like when we’re walking the dog, staring out the window, or yes, just sitting quietly — we shift into what’s called the default mode network. That’s the part of the brain that helps us reflect, connect ideas, make sense of what we’ve learned, and come up with creative solutions. It only kicks in when we’re not actively trying to “do” something.

There’s research from Scientific American showing that this kind of mental downtime actually boosts attention, motivation, memory, and creativity. And other studies — like one from the NIH — show that people are way more likely to solve complex problems after they’ve had time to sleep or take a break. Our brains literally keep working on the problem in the background.

So when we pack every minute of someone’s day with meetings and to-dos, we’re not just exhausting them — we’re blocking one of the most powerful parts of human intelligence.

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This Is Where Your AI Strategy Starts

AI isn’t waiting for your org to get perfectly structured.

It’s already changing the way we build, communicate, and lead.

And the smartest people on your team? They probably already have ideas about how to use it to make your product better, improve the customer experience, or solve real problems.

But if they’re stuck in meetings all day or waiting for permission, you’re never going to hear those ideas.

The future isn’t built in a steering committee.

It’s built by people who have time to think.