Three Observations from Using AI in My Business
| As artificial intelligence becomes more accessible, many professionals are experimenting with it in their daily work. Over the past year, I’ve incorporated AI tools into my own (small) business as a complement to how I work. That experience has led to a few important lessons that may be useful for project managers navigating AI adoption. 1) The market is crowded with vendors and questionable claims. Every week seems to bring a new AI product promising dramatic productivity gains or autonomous decision-making. In practice, many of these tools offer incremental value at best. The real benefit comes from a small number of reliable platforms that integrate well into existing workflows. I’ve found that the most effective tools are those that behave less like magic solutions and more like dependable collaborators. These are the tools you need because they consistently support your work. 2) There is a meaningful difference between my own work and AI I write my articles in my own words and use AI the way I use Grammarly or a critical editor to review, challenge, and refine what I’ve already created. When AI generates explanatory paragraphs from scratch, the output is competent, but the voice is noticeably different. Flow, nuance, and intent reflect my lived experience, judgment, and personality, the things that AI does not provide. Prompting for a more academic or conversational tone can change the style, but the substance is still not what I would naturally produce. This distinction matters, especially for project leaders whose credibility depends on clarity and authenticity. 3) AI offerings vary widely in purpose and maturity. Some tools are excellent for summarization, others for analysis, and others for brainstorming or critique. Treating AI as a single capability is a mistake. The value comes from understanding what each tool is good at and applying it intentionally, rather than expecting one system to do everything. Ultimately, using AI effectively is about judgment. The professionals who benefit most will be those who understand their own work deeply enough to decide when AI adds value and when it does not. |
Posted on: February 09, 2026 08:00 AM
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Three Observations as a Researcher of AI in Project Management
As I investigate AI-based solutions to a variety of project issues, I find that my research into new theories often has practical implications. The vast range of project types and sizes makes generalizable solutions difficult. I study machine learning, genetic algorithms, and ethical issues in adopting and using AI. Here are my observations:
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Posted on: January 22, 2026 08:48 AM
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Four Observations as a Teacher of AI in Project Management
| After teaching AI in project management both in the classroom and at conferences, I noticed a few consistent patterns. 1) The first is a lack of awareness about how AI works, what it can do, and how it influences decisions. Overall awareness of AI in general is growing rapidly, including in project management, but awareness doesn’t necessarily equate to understanding. The knowledge deficiency can be addressed by education or formal training and requires a willingness to read, explore, and engage with AI concepts before being directed to use them. 2) The second pattern is the belief that AI is a turnkey solution. In reality, applying AI is a long-term and ongoing process. Implementation requires people to understand the data, choose an appropriate method, and, most importantly, interpret results before making a decision. What I increasingly see is project software algorithms presenting optimized outputs, and project managers accepting them without question. When optimization is treated as an answer rather than an input to decision-making, human judgment quietly disappears. 3) Another clear divide is generational. Many experienced project managers are slowly and cautiously adapting to AI and large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT. Meanwhile, nearly all my students already use them daily. This isn’t a criticism of either group, but an observation of a real gap in comfort, fluency, and expectations. The gap matters because AI is quickly becoming part of the project professional baseline. 4) The final pattern is the most encouraging. Once people are exposed to AI through a course or a conference session, excitement replaces anxiety. Participants are no longer discouraged. Instead, they feel empowered and leave the sessions with a sense that they’re better prepared for the future of project management. Teaching AI hasn’t convinced me that technology will solve our problems. It has, however, convinced me that education is a powerful force that can help people navigate the significant change that AI is bringing. |
Posted on: January 15, 2026 09:10 AM
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AI Optimizers: The Hidden Ethics Risk in Project Software
| Artificial intelligence is increasingly being added to project management software. Schedule compression engines, resource-leveling algorithms, portfolio ranking systems, and forecasting models now operate in the background of many project platforms. While these AI optimizers promise efficiency and consistency, they introduce a growing ethical challenge. When optimization logic is embedded inside software, bias becomes harder to detect, question, or govern. Across the project management software landscape, vendors increasingly use AI-based algorithms to determine prioritization, forecasts, resource allocation, risks, and workflow optimization. AI-enabled software is promoted under the banner of productivity. In practice, it has become challenging to identify any mainstream project management software application that does not claim to leverage AI in some aspect of planning, coordination, or decision support. None of this implies wrongdoing, but it does raise the important governance question: whose values are embedded in these optimizers? Bias in project AI rarely appears as overt discrimination. Instead, it emerges structurally. Algorithms may favor projects that resemble past successes, penalize innovative or unconventional initiatives, or prioritize cost efficiency at the expense of safety, resilience, or social impact. Because these assumptions are encoded inside mathematical models and training data, they remain invisible to users. The result is an illusion of objectivity, as decisions appear neutral because they are based on a statistical process. Three ethical risks are especially relevant for project managers:
As AI becomes standard inside project software, ethics will depend on whether project managers can still see, question, and justify the decisions being made. This efficiency, in the form of productivity, may obscure the responsibility for ethical practices. |
Posted on: January 05, 2026 12:51 PM
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Emotion & AI
| When people argue that humans possess superior interpersonal skills compared to AI, I challenge that assumption. Anyone who has worked for a manager with anger issues, a habit of taking personal credit for team accomplishments, or a tendency to deflect blame knows that human interpersonal skills are far from guaranteed. On the other hand, AI can deliver a refreshingly honest, unbiased perspective on your value to the organization and your career potential. As project managers, we have to learn to be better people managers and motivators. For many of us, it is not a natural ability. AI is becoming more common in project management, reducing the administrative demands on project managers. As technology improves and becomes more sophisticated, AI’s emotional intelligence may surpass that of an average human. While not evidence of AI superiority, a 2024 study found that AI-based chatbot interventions produced “substantial improvements” in depressive and anxiety symptoms. Many similar studies confirm AI's ability to successfully manage people’s emotional well-being. Is there anything that AI cannot do? Yes. AI cannot love someone. Love is the ultimate differentiator because fake love can be detected. As we approach the end of another year, I encourage everyone to think about the ones you love and the ones who love you. That is a gift that AI cannot replicate. Happy holidays, and wishing everyone a joyous new year. |
Posted on: December 18, 2025 01:01 PM
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