AI in Project Management: From Spreadsheet Handlers to Conductors

For a century, project managers have served as coordinators of record, owning status, tracking budgets, and reconciling data across systems. Each new generation of tools improved efficiency without fundamentally changing the role. AI represents a genuine shift. This session draws a clear distinction: AI will take on the operational overhead, status reporting, data reconciliation, routine tracking, while the work that matters most remains human, from earning client confidence to managing team dynamics and making difficult decisions under pressure. The result is a move from executing tasks to directing outcomes, underpinned by one essential requirement: reliable, well-maintained data.