S2.E1.AI in Project Management: Tools, Risks, and the Future of PM with Gerard Pietrykiewicz

In this episode, Aina sits down with Gerard, a seasoned program manager and AI enthusiast, to explore the real-world impact of AI on project management. Together, they break down practical use cases, risks, and misconceptions surrounding tools like ChatGPT, Copilot, and Gemini.

Gerard shares how AI helps him handle technical documentation, generate slide decks, and save hours on routine tasks. They discuss the growing necessity of AI proficiency, privacy concerns, and how the role of project managers is shifting from administrative work to leadership.

Is AI a threat or a powerful ally? Can PMs afford to resist adopting AI? Tune in for an honest, practical conversation packed with insights you can apply immediately. Plus, a sneak peek at their next episode on AI agents.

What was discussed:

• AI Tools:
  "From your perspective as a project manager, program manager, and AI enthusiast, what are some AI tools that project managers should pay attention to?"

• Technical Documentation:
  "You mentioned to me a few cases where AI was helping you with technical documentation. Can you share with the audience how AI can help us create technical documentation, and if you have any examples, could you walk us through?"

• Privacy & Security Risks:
  "AI definitely helps us with learning technical dry documentation, but how do you feel about uploading it to ChatGPT, especially if companies have privacy and security settings that you cannot use documentation outside of the organization?"

• Risk Mitigation:
  "How can AI assist in risk mitigation by identifying gaps in documentation?"

• Time-Saving with AI:
  "You mentioned that you use AI to help you with time-saving. We all know AI can help with email replies and Excel reports, but you also mentioned slide decks, which I don’t utilize AI for yet. Can you tell us more about this?"

• Hallucinations:
  "We all know that AI loves hallucinating. How can project or portfolio managers verify the accuracy of AI-generated content?"

• Biggest Misconception:
  "What is the biggest misconception project managers have about AI from your perspective?"

• Workload Impact:
  "Here maybe my misconception comes into play. If AI takes most of our administrative work, will we be expected to manage more projects simultaneously than we already do?"

• AI Resistance:
  "What do you think happens to project managers who resist adopting AI?"