Course Finale

Summary (Part 2) · Practice + Cost

Course summary, Part 2 of 2: Module 3 "What Can AI Do & What Does It Cost" builds automation and cost awareness; Module 4 "Security, Compliance & Red Lines" clarifies where your product needs to be defended.

Module 3
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Module 3 · What Can AI Do · What Does It Cost
Automation & Cost Awareness
Agent Concept
Can Plan, Use Tools, and Act Autonomously
Agent = Plan + Tool + Memory + Act. Not just chat — it can call APIs, write files, and execute in loops. But it can also fail and loop endlessly, requiring scaffolding as a safety net.
Cost Awareness
Multi-Turn Conversations Grow Exponentially
Each turn carries the full history → tokens accumulate, costs escalate. A 10-turn conversation can cost 5–10× more than the first turn; you must proactively design compression strategies.
Cost Optimization
Five-Layer Framework, Achieving 70–90% Cost Reduction
Model Routing (lightweight models for simple tasks) → Syntax Layer (trim formatting) → Semantic Layer (compress content) → Output Layer (constrain output) → KV Cache (fixed prefixes).
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Common Misconception: Assuming AI costs are fixed. In reality, product design decisions determine whether costs are high or low.
Module 4
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Module 4 · Security, Compliance & Red Lines
Where to Defend Your Product
Prompt Injection
User Input Can Override Your System Instructions
The model sees one single Message — it cannot distinguish system instructions from user input. A malicious user can craft inputs to make the model do what you don't want it to do.
Three-Layer Defense
Input Layer → Prompt Layer → Output Layer
Input Layer: filter keywords and abnormal structures; Prompt Layer: add role-locking and constraint declarations; Output Layer: detect system Prompt leakage. All three are required — missing one creates a vulnerability.
Product Red Lines
Writing "Forbidden" in Your Prompt Is Not Enough
Compliance boundaries, brand risk, competitor info: writing "don't say this" in your Prompt is only the first line of defense — it can always be bypassed. Technical interception at the product layer is required.
Skills You've Now Mastered
Understand LLM Principles Identify & Mitigate Hallucinations Write Effective Prompts Understand Agent Architecture Build Cost Awareness Master Safety Red Lines
Course Complete · Congratulations on finishing A Product Manager's First AI Course