When the Project Manager Must Use Real AI

– as in Actual Intelligence

COMMENTARY

By William A. Moylan, PhD, PMP, FESD, DTM

Professor Emeritus

Eastern Michigan University, USA

Ask any recent college grad about their job prospects and get ready to duck. They will bend your ear about the slim pickings with Artificial Intelligence [AI] oft cited as a primary cause for the upheaval (Latham & Humberd, April 2, 2026). Attempting to land promising entry-level positions in business and project management that lead to long term career paths has always been a challenge; now more so.

As the AI virus becomes a full pandemic throughout organizations and society, the astute Project Manager [PM] needs to be conversant with both the tools of AI and become the savant of AI. That is, Artificial Intelligence for the routine and mundane project tasks, and Actual Intelligence for the real managerial and leadership aspects of their PM role. This article will march through the muck and mire of both constructs.

The Promise and the Peril of Artificial Intelligence

The Age of AI forbodes both the thrill of victory and agony of defeat. The promise of AI portends the transformation of managers to gain improved productivity, lighting speed information retrieval, develop strategic plans without a hitch, create seamless reports along with the bullet-point status reports, and schedule lunch plans [for the celebration]. However, reality sets in with the peril of diminishing human interactions and corroded decision making. Disdain AI and the PM is left behind; overly rely on AI and the PM will be relegated to the obsolete scrap heap. How to strike the balance?

Leveraging AI requires balance (Latham & Humberd). In the country song words of Kenny Rogers – the savvy PM needs to know when to play their AI chips, as in when to “hold ‘em” and when to “fold ‘em”. That is, letting the AI algorithms crunch the data and create the solutions versus exercising their own judgment in generating their decisions

AI is the PM’s Time Saving Savant. AI helps the PM compress time like magic. The PM can utilize AI to rapidly scan vast quantities of information, synthesize key points, and produce first drafts of documents and presentations. The PM should use AI to accelerate the most tedious tasks of managerial work: gathering data, preparing materials, and finding patterns (Latham & Humberd).

Time is always tight on projects. The PM should use AI to handle the groundwork so that they can focus on sensemaking. AI can outline a report so that the PM can focus on their managerial forte: deciding what findings matter, what signals to prioritize, and what the implications are for strategy or next steps. AI can summarize team feedback while the PM concentrates on what actions to take. AI can prepare the talking points for a project performance review, while the PM prepares and practices their presentation delivery. The PM stays in command of the decision analysis instead of being mired in the administrative misery [or “admiseria” for short] of paperwork (Latham & Humberd).

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How to cite this article: Moylan, W. A. (2026).  When the Project Manager Must Use Real AI – as in Actual Intelligence, commentary, PM World Journal, Vol. XV, Issue VII, July. Available online at https://pmworldjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/pmwj166-Jul2026-Moylan-When-Project-Manager-Must-Use-Real-AI.pdf

About the Author

William A. Moylan, PhD

Ypsilanti, Michigan

William A. Moylan, PhD, PMP, FESD, DTM, is a Professor Emeritus with Eastern Michigan University – College of Engineering & Technology. He has extensive professional experience in all aspects of program and project management, including over eleven years internationally with the Saudi Arabian American Oil Co, and since 1983, has been involved in implementing information technology. He has degrees from Lawrence Technological University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Capella University. He is s active in a variety of professional societies and civic activities including American Society of Civil Engineers, Engineering Society of Detroit, Project Management Institute, Habitat for Humanity, Rotary International and Toastmasters International.  He can be contacted at William.moylan@emich.edu