AI Alone Cannot Deliver Project Success, Say Industry Leaders
Organised by the Project Management Institute (PMI) at Bhartiya City, the conference was themed “MORE, Together: Future-Ready in the Age of AI.”
Published : October 3, 2026 at 10:37 PM IST
|Updated : October 3, 2026 at 11:01 PM IST
Bengaluru: Artificial intelligence is transforming jobs, business models and project delivery, but organisations must combine technology with human judgment, leadership and execution to turn AI adoption into measurable results, industry leaders said at the 18th Project Management South Asia Conference (PMSAC) 2026 in Bengaluru.
Organised by the Project Management Institute (PMI) at Bhartiya City, the conference was themed “MORE, Together: Future-Ready in the Age of AI.” It brought together over 850 delegates and more than 20 speakers from project management, industry, technology and policymaking sectors across South Asia.
Discussions at the conference focused on how AI is changing the way organisations approach projects and measure success. Speakers said technology alone would not determine outcomes, stressing the growing importance of strategic thinking, human judgment, adaptability, collaboration and execution.
They also emphasised the need for organisations to continuously reassess how projects are planned, implemented and evaluated as AI becomes increasingly integrated into workplaces.
Amit Goyal, Managing Director, South Asia, PMI, said India's technology ecosystem and its ability to adopt and scale emerging technologies position the country for the next phase of growth.
However, he cited the McKinsey 2025 State of AI report, which found that only 39% of organisations reported enterprise-level EBIT impact from AI. "Project success in the AI era will increasingly depend on how effectively organisations combine technology with human judgment, leadership and execution," Goyal said.
He said PMSAC 2026 provided a platform to examine how organisations could convert AI ambitions into meaningful outcomes. He added that PMI would continue to promote learning and collaboration to help shape the future of the project management profession.
The conference featured speakers including Ajit Chauhan of Amity University Online, Ravi Kumar Dikshit of Kyndryl, Dr Geetha Manjunath of NIRAMAI Health Analytix, John Dawber of Novo Nordisk, Usha Srikanth of IBM Consulting and Sumit Taneja of EXL.
Their sessions explored large-scale transformation, organisational readiness for AI, its impact on people and the leadership choices required in a rapidly changing technological environment.
Author and columnist Chetan Bhagat delivered a keynote address on navigating change, leadership and the evolving demands of professional life. Speakers from technology, EdTech, consulting and enterprise solutions also discussed rising project complexity and changing workforce expectations.
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