My Journey as an AI Product Manager at JD.com: Career Decisions, Project Experiences, and Growth Framework

In 2021, the author joined JD.com as an AI product manager, reflecting on three years of growth from uncertainty to confidence, witnessing the AI industry's rapid expansion.

The article begins with a personal career judgment, explaining why the author chose AI product management despite a background in mechanical engineering and risk management, emphasizing the strategic importance of AI across industries.

It outlines the core responsibilities of AI product managers, including understanding AI algorithms, system architecture, and staying informed through media, conferences, and research papers.

The author describes challenges faced in early AI product work, such as limited awareness among peers, scarce R&D investment, and lack of technical depth, and how project experience helped overcome these obstacles.

Key projects are highlighted: the integration of a data platform and algorithm platform, where the author led cross‑team alignment, user‑centric design, and a three‑phase rollout to minimize user impact; and the edge‑intelligence project, where they acted as a primary owner to build a mobile AI system, establish deployment standards, and improve model delivery efficiency.

A three‑stage growth path for AI product managers is presented, followed by a “four‑quadrant” capability model covering product design, technical understanding, industry vision, and influence building.

The article concludes with optimism about the future of AI, noting increasing investment, the expanding role of AI applications, and the importance of AI product managers who combine business insight with technical expertise.