From my experience creating AI-driven products at Adobe, extensive coding knowledge isn't typically necessary. As a product designer, your primary focus should be on visualizing research-backed experiences that your customers love so much that they tell their friends about it. Even better, create something that you love and use yourself.

However, having some coding knowledge in the exploration phase can be helpful. Coding knowledge and being comfortable accesing workflows on ComfyUI, HuggingFace, Replicate, and GitHub can allow you to access cutting-edge tech early and to communicate effectively with engineers.

Start by immersing yourself in what people are creating with AI. Follow new emerging companies and influencers who share valuable content. When something catches your eye, immediately get hands-on experience with the tools. Using new tools often teaches more than watching a tutorial, helping you identify opportunities and distinguish between what's just hype.

In addition, don't let ideas sit restless in your mind. Bring them to life through sketches, prototypes, and presentations. Share these concepts widely with users, colleagues, friends, and online communities to quickly gather feedback. You'll be surprised how far an idea will go once it is out of your head and on paper.

What I do to stay ahead in AI is to focus on continuous learning by checking what's happening in the world daily. When you are an expert in emerging AI trends, people will come directly to you for advice. It's crucial to keep a pulse on emerging trends so you can pivot quickly when necessary.

In addition, develop an understanding of AI's legal and ethical considerations, including the implications of training datasets on artists and creatives. This will help you communicate well with your stakeholders and users. Finally, when you identify a promising trend through research and hands-on experimentation, prioritize depth on that subject area to design, research, and develop the most compelling product.