Project professionals in the Channel Islands are optimistic about the future of AI, but employers need to do more to ensure projects are AI-ready, a new survey by Association for Project Management shows.
A new survey, carried out with Association for Project Management (APM) in partnership with research company Censuswide, found that 100% of respondents from the Channel Islands said their organisation is using AI already (59%) or has plans to apply AI to its projects (41%). However, a sizeable minority (39%) say their company has not yet fully prepared its project teams for the rise of AI. This is despite the fact that two-thirds of project professionals say they are now using AI more than they anticipated they would five years ago.
As employers continue to adapt to the sudden rise and emerging implications of AI in the workplace, ensuring their project teams are properly trained and equipped to use the new technology will be crucial to realising its potential benefits.
Project professionals in the Channel Islands anticipate these will include:
- Completing administrative tasks, freeing up time for more strategic work (anticipated by 57% of survey respondents)
- Assisting in decision-making (43%)
- Producing more consistent and/or timely reports (43%)
- Reducing project costs (39%)
- Stronger cyber-security (35%)
- More accurate data analysis (33%)
But there are also challenges associated with the use of artificial intelligence, which employers must address if they are to get the most from it. Project professionals who are already using AI in their work say the main challenges they have encountered are integration with existing workflows and ethical concerns over its use.
Ed Mason-Smith (pictured), Lead for APM’s Channel Islands Regional Network, said: “People will always play an important role in an AI-enabled world. Having skilled project professionals who can bring together and engage stakeholders, source reliable data, and effectively utilise AI tools on future projects will be vital for informing decision-making in business.
“The implementation of new AI tools and systems will constitute projects in their own right. Concerns around integration, accuracy, data protection and ethical usage must be addressed head-on. Organisations who ensure their teams are properly equipped to deliver such projects will find themselves with a strong competitive advantage.”
