SPM Summit North America 2024: Challenges and Opportunities in Taking an AI Product to International Markets

On December 6, 2024 the second edition of the SPM Summit North America was held at the University of California, Berkeley. The one-day event, organized by the ISPMA Student Chapter at UC Berkeley, brought together AI professionals, product managers, and innovators to discuss current challenges and opportunities in taking AI-based products to global markets. The summit focused on key topics such as ethical AI, global product strategies, and leadership in software product management.

Shaping the Future of AI Products: Speaker Highlights

The summit featured a compelling lineup of thought leaders who shared practical perspectives on the evolving AI landscape:

• Abhai Pratap Singh, Senior Product Manager-Technical at Amazon, offered a deep dive into leveraging Generative AI to shape global product strategies. Drawing from his experience with Alexa, he emphasized the criticality of cultural relevance and user empathy in scaling AI/ML solutions internationally.
• Alka Roy, Guest Faculty in Responsible Innovation & AI at UC Berkeley, introduced her Responsible Innovation Framework—a methodology recognized in both academic and industry circles. Her talk underscored the importance of embedding ethics early in the AI product lifecycle.
• Rana Gujral, CEO of Behavioral Signals, explored how voice data analytics can unlock insights into human behavior, paving the way for emotionally intelligent AI interfaces that respond better to user needs.
• Sam McAfee, Founder of Startup Patterns, discussed frameworks for building resilient product teams. His talk drew lessons from working with global enterprises like Adobe and stressed sustainable growth over hyper-scaling.
• Benson Chan, COO at Strategy of Things, addressed the convergence of AI and IoT. Sharing case studies from both startups and Fortune 500s, he highlighted the need for adaptive go-to-market strategies in tech ecosystems increasingly driven by interconnected smart systems.

A Focused Step Toward Global Readiness

From ethics to execution, the Summit reinforced the need for responsible, adaptable, and user-centric AI products in today’s global economy. As AI continues to influence every aspect of product management, platforms like the SPM Summit North America play a vital role in shaping agile, globally-minded product leaders of tomorrow.