Who Are They?
The Stakeholder Perspective in the Generative AI Era
A new series of stakeholder-centered short guidance articles on projects, people, and performance in the age of Generative Artificial Intelligence
SERIES ARTICLE
By Massimo Pirozzi
Rome, Italy
Stakeholders, who are they? Stakeholders are the people, groups or organizations that are central to every project. They are the ones who do the work and who benefit from the project. Their satisfaction is as important to success as their contribution to progress. Therefore, all projects deliver outputs, outcomes, and value through human collaboration and reciprocal influence.
Yet, in just a few years, the context has changed profoundly. Generative AI (GAI) has transformed the conception, execution, and communication of projects, with hybrid ecosystems increasingly carrying out initiatives through continuous collaboration between people and “intelligent” systems. The distinction between the two has become increasingly blurred: artificial agents – large language models, recommendation algorithms, predictive engines, and autonomous decision-support platforms – can now influence strategies, communication patterns, and even outcomes in ways that were once exclusively human.
Can Artificial Intelligence Really Be a Stakeholder?
This evolution raises an essential question: can an AI system be considered a stakeholder if stakeholders are, by definition, human individuals or groups who have interests, who influence, or who are influenced by a project? This is not just an academic question; artificial intelligence systems already act as participants with a stake in outcomes by enabling communication, processing knowledge, supporting decision-making, and reflecting collective preferences. May generative AI be considered a stakeholder? It is not, because stakeholders are individuals and collectives, while GAI is non-human. Conversely, can we regard GAI as a stakeholder and thereby manage our relationship with it? Yes, because GAI emulates human behavior and engages with us in human language, and all stakeholder relationships are founded on behaviors (Pirozzi, 2024): AI stakeholders add a novel layer to stakeholder relationships without replacing the human ones.
In this article, the first in a new series on the Stakeholder Perspective in the Generative AI Era, we examine how the stakeholder landscape has evolved from the classic categories of Providers, Purchasers, Investors, and Influencers, to also include AI-powered entities that can reinforce or disrupt human behavior and expectations. The change is not just technological, but also about identity and relationships. The traditional approach to stakeholder identification was based on authority and interest, assuming that stakeholders act intentionally and are guided by values and motivations. This is no longer the case for systems without consciousness: AI systems do not have their own goals and interests and should therefore be considered an agency rather than an intelligence (Floridi, 2023). But their outputs influence plans, affect decisions, and transform perceptions, showing what can be called “functional agency” — an operational capability coming from computational processing rather than from human consciousness.
More…
To read entire report, click here
Editor’s note: The contents of this Article are extracted and synthesized from Chapter 15, “Stakeholders in the AI Era – Who Are They?”, of the Author’s book “The Stakeholder Perspective: Projects, People and Performance in the Generative AI Era” (2nd Edition), Taylor & Francis / CRC Press, Boca Raton (FL), U.S.A., June 2026, ISBN 978-1-041-14837-1.
How to cite this paper: Pirozzi, M. (2026), Stakeholders in the AI Era – Who Are They? The Stakeholder Perspective in the Generative AI Era; Article 1 in a series of stakeholder-centered short guidance articles on projects, people, and performance in the age of Generative Artificial Intelligence, PM World Journal, Vol. XV, Issue IX, September. Available online at https://pmworldjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/pmwj168-Sep2026-Pirozzi-Stakeholders-in-the-AI-Era-Who-Are-They-Article1.pdf
About the Author
Massimo Pirozzi
Rome, Italy
Massimo Pirozzi, MSc cum laude, Electronic Engineering, University of Rome “La Sapienza”, Project, Program, and Portfolio Manager, Lecturer, Educator, Generative AI Leader, and Specialist. He is a Member of the Scientific Committee and an Accredited Master Teacher of the Istituto Italiano di Project Management (Italian Institute of Project Management). He is certified as a Professional Project Manager, as a Generative AI Leader, as an AI Professional, as an Information Security Management Systems Lead Auditor, and as an International Mediator. He is specialized, among other specializations, in Generative Artificial Intelligence for Project and Program Managers, in Generative Artificial Intelligence for Educators, in Responsible Generative Artificial Intelligence, in Prompt Engineering for Project Managers and for Educators, and in Agentic AI. In general, he has more than 70 Credentials in Project Management, Artificial Intelligence, Emotional Intelligence, Creative and Critical Thinking, Learning Design and Education released by primary US, British, Italian, and Singaporean Universities, US Companies, US and Italian Professional Associations.
Massimo is a Researcher, a Lecturer, and an Author about Stakeholder Management, Relationship Management, Complex Projects Management, and Generative AI, and he authored or coauthored more than 50 works in 5 different Countries. In particular, he is the Author of the Book “The Stakeholder Perspective: Relationship Management to Enhance Project Value and Success”, CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, Boca Raton (FL), U.S.A., October 2019, the second Edition of which “The Stakeholder Perspective: Projects, People and Performance in the Generative AI Era”—including a consistent additional part dedicated to AI—has been published in June 2026. Due to the acknowledgement of his comments on stakeholder-related issues contained in the Exposure Draft of The Standard for Project Management—7th and 8th Editions, he has been recognized as one of the contributors and reviewers of the PMBOK® Guide—7th and Eighth Editions, and he received the Certificate of Appreciation for Excellence for his volunteer contributions to the Project Management Institute and the project management profession in 2020. He also received several International Awards.
Massimo Pirozzi has wide experience in managing large and complex projects, programs, and portfolios in national and international contexts, and in managing business relations with public and private organizations, including multinational companies, small and medium-sized enterprises, research institutes, and non-profit organizations. He worked successfully in several sectors, including Defense, Security, Health, Education, Engineering, Logistics, Cultural Heritage, Transport, Gaming, Services to Citizens, Consulting, and Web. He was also, for many years, a Top Manager in ICT Industry, and an Adjunct Professor in Organizational Psychology. He is registered as an Expert of both the European Commission and Italian Public Administrations.
Massimo Pirozzi is an Accomplished Author, a Member of the Executive Team and an International Editorial Advisor of PM World Journal, and can be contacted at max.pirozzi@gmail.com.
www.linkedin.com/in/massimo-pirozzi-the-stakeholder-perspective
To view previous works by Massimo Pirozzi, visit his author showcase in the PM World Library at https://pmworldlibrary.net/authors/massimo-pirozzi/
