A new survey has found that 83% of project managers in Ireland agree that the necessary processes are not currently in place to govern the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the sector.
But despite this, 81% are using, or are planning to use, the technology, the report from the Ireland Chapter of Project Management Institute shows.
In terms of the impact of AI, the research found that 69% of project managers think it will have a transformative effect on the industry. As a result of AI, project managers estimate both a cost saving and improvement to project success rates of 13%, it also reveals.
The outstanding benefit of the technology was found to be automation, at 78%, with the effective use of resources (62%) and more effective metrics (41%) completing the top three.
But while the attitude around the future of AI and project management is positive, challenges will also arise.
The top three barriers preventing project managers from working with the technology were a lack of education (74%), insufficient trust (72%), and a shortage of skills (69%).
This may be why 81% of respondents have, or are planning to, undertake training or education to effectively use AI.
As for what project managers see as the negatives around AI usage, errors made by the technology (68%) was most cited, followed by data, privacy, and security concerns (65%). Highlighting the prevailing sentiment, a lack of governance (63%) was the third most-mentioned negative.
Peter Glynne, President of the Ireland Chapter of PMI, said that as is the case with all emerging technologies, the individuals and businesses who stand to benefit the most from AI are those who adapt, implement and learn through usage.
"As highlighted in our survey and discussed in our report, AI is certainly going to have a transformative effect on the profession, with the automation of tasks provided by the technology set to lead to great improvements in innovation and efficiency," Mr Glynne said.
"Whilst an exciting time in project management, with AI feeling like a new frontier, the foundations for its deployment - including training and governance - will be crucial for capitalising on and maximising its potential," he added.
