68% say AI will positively impact education projects

68% of education project professionals say AI will have a positive impact in their sector – new survey by APM reveals

A new survey by Association for Project Management (APM), the chartered membership organisation for the project profession, has revealed that the majority (68%) of project professionals working in education think the latest advancements in AI technology will have a positive impact on their sector, such as better decision-making, more accurate data and reduced project costs.

A total of 12% of the respondents who work in education related roles said it would have a negative impact, with 20% feeling its impact will be neither positive or negative.

APM surveyed almost 1,000 project professionals working across industry sectors, including education, in a poll carried out by research company Censuswide.

The most popular reasons given on how AI will positively impact their sector were:

• Produce more consistent and/or timely reports
• Assist in decision-making
• More accurate data analysis
• Reduce project costs

The survey revealed the extent to which AI is already being used in education projects. More than a third (35%) of project professionals working in education say their organisation is already using AI in projects, and 38% say their organisation is planning to use it in the near future. A total of 27% of professionals working in education say their organisation does not use AI and does not plan to introduce it.

The survey also revealed the impact AI is already having on individual project practitioners. Of those respondents whose company is already using AI technology as part of their project delivery, the majority (93%) say that it has caused a change within their role or their team.

The most common changes are:

• It has given me more free time to concentrate on other priorities
• It has necessitated training/upskilling for me personally
• It has enabled me to produce more consistent and/or timely reports
• It has strengthened cyber-security

Professor Adam Boddison OBE, Chief Executive of APM, said:

“Our latest survey shows project professionals in education and other sectors are embracing AI and the impacts it is having. 

“This is encouraging to see, but the implementation of new technology means project professionals will need to adapt and keep themselves updated with the rapid advancements we are seeing and adjust their skills accordingly to stay abreast of the change. Many survey respondents are telling us the arrival of AI has already necessitated training for them or their colleagues. We strongly urge business leaders and senior project managers who are considering implementing AI to factor in training for the intended users, to ensure desired improvements to project delivery are realised.

“APM, as the chartered membership body for the project profession, recognises that AI has potential to become a significant tool for aiding project delivery now and in the future.”

APM’s recent Salary and Market Trends survey (of over 2,000 project professionals) highlights the increasingly important skills which project professionals will need to develop to take advantage of the introduction of new technology.

Communication skills (44%), project leadership (38%), stakeholder engagement (34%), people management (29%) and strategic planning and monitoring (24%) – with AI language models providing more accurate risk analysis and insights, project managers will need to be skilled at strategic planning and risk management.