Rocky Sharma (@rockyrunz) is Founder & CEO of ProductLedCEO, ProcurementAI, and Luxeo Platforms — 3x Head of Product, Stanford GSB alumnus, and Forbes Thought Leader

When it opened its doors in 2005, the Georgia Aquarium was the world’s largest. Today, it no longer holds that distinction, but it remains an immense aquarium. I had the opportunity to visit it twice, once in 2008 and once in 2024.

Both times, I found myself in an environment that was alien to me. Watching fish of various colors and sizes floating, I wondered about what life was like on the other side of the glass. Fish are attuned to their immediate environment, not what lies beyond them. In some ways, I believe, we can look at product management from the perspective of being a fish in an aquarium. Product managers and leaders can learn several lessons from fish in an aquarium.

1. Product Lifecycles Of AI Products And Disruption

My first trip to the Georgia Aquarium was in 2008, during the financial crisis. Many people were concerned about their financial situation, as the overall economic outlook was bleak.

Watching a group of moon jellyfish that day, I thought about how they were completely oblivious to what was happening beyond their environment. What was happening in the outside world could very well affect them. For instance, families dealing with job loss would likely decide to cut back on unnecessary expenses, including aquarium visits, leaving the aquarium with fewer funds.

My second trip to the aquarium was in 2024, when generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) was the focal point of many conversations, with some fearing the ramifications it would have on jobs.

Once again, I found myself watching a group of moon jellyfish floating and glowing. I had the same thought as last time—they were totally oblivious to what was happening beyond their immediate environment, despite the reality that events unfolding in the outside world could impact them. For instance, research published in 2025 by Common Sense Media found that for children eight years of age and younger, “there has been a shift in how screen time is being used. Gaming time has surged 65% in four years, and traditional TV viewing has declined, while short-form video platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts are on the rise.”

Additionally, consider this from a 2024 Wired article: “There’s a whole new way to get rich on the internet—at least according to a rush of YouTube tutorials touting the money to be made using AI to generate videos for kids. Searching for how to create kids content or channels on YouTube now pulls up tutorials offering roadmaps for creating simple animations in just a few hours.” What if, in the next few years, some children start preferring watching AI-generated videos of fish, versus visiting aquariums in person? If fish are the product and this becomes the case, then 2008 would be akin to the maturity stage in the product lifecycle, while 2024 would resemble the product decline stage with a tectonic shift in customer behavior.

The takeaway? The product lifecycles of AI products can disrupt industries seemingly overnight.

2. Product Marketing And AI Robots

By the time of my 2008 visit, I was observing some product leaders explore how networking-based solutions could be used in their products and startups. Network-based companies were emerging, such as Facebook (2004) and Airbnb (2007). Others, such as Uber (2009) and Instagram (2010), would follow.

For the aquarium, I thought while I observed beluga whales doing acrobatics, that could mean more visitors outside of Georgia buying tickets due to potentially less expensive accommodation costs—they could opt to stay in an Airbnb versus a hotel.

But in 2024, as I observed the beluga whales, I thought about how the aquarium was navigating changes to product marketing, such as many people leveraging large language models (LLMs) like search engines.

So, I predict that the tectonic shift to product marketing could be that the focus will be more on impressing AI tools rather than people, as it’s the AI tools that collect and present the information to people. Perhaps AI tools won’t necessarily gather and present the information that aquariums want people to see, leading to a decline in visits.

The takeaway, in my view, is that product marketing will shift toward impressing AI tools and not just people.

3. Product Experience And Emotional Connection

In my 2008 visit to the Georgia Aquarium, I watched the penguins. From my observations, the aquarium staff were there to provide a wholesome experience to visitors while maintaining a safe distance between the penguins and people.

2008 also happened to be the year when the iPhone was in its infancy. In my view, the iPhone was one of the cornerstone products that signaled an increased focus on creating better user experiences to entice customers.

In 2024, as I moved across the aquarium, I came across the penguins again. It was astonishing to observe the way the penguins walked and played. I saw the penguins and people emotionally connecting.

Emotional connection is something that, I believe, AI can’t really replicate currently. When I remember those penguins and people interacting, I can’t help but think that moving forward, emotional connection might be a differentiating factor in the product experience.

I believe the takeaway is that product managers and leaders should double down on creating emotional connections via their products, as it’s something that AI can’t currently create well.

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This article also appeared in Forbes.