u/Kripa_HR

I’ve been thinking about the role of project managers in AI projects.

A PM obviously doesn’t need to become a data scientist or machine learning engineer, but they still need enough understanding to communicate with technical teams and make informed decisions.

Where do you think the line should be?

How technical should a project manager become when managing an AI project?

Would love to hear perspectives from PMs and people working directly with AI teams.

For project managers who are new to AI, there seem to be so many areas to learn—machine learning, AI governance, data, automation, ethics, and more. Which AI-related skills would you recommend learning first if the goal is to manage AI projects effectively?

AI can help project managers with documentation, analysis, planning, and communication, but I’m wondering where people draw the line. Would you let AI generate a first draft of a project plan? Analyze project risks? Summarize stakeholder meetings? What types of decisions should always remain human-led?

I'm trying to understand where project managers should draw the line with AI. Do PMs really need to understand how AI models work technically, or is it more important to understand things like AI risks, governance, data quality, ethics, and practical use cases? I feel like having enough technical knowledge to ask the right questions may be more valuable than trying to become an AI engineer. For PMs already working with AI projects, what level of AI knowledge do you think is realistically necessary?

AI can definitely make some project tasks faster, but I wonder where people draw the line. For example, using AI for documentation or brainstorming seems relatively low-risk. But using AI to influence important project decisions feels different. Has anyone worked on a project where the team became too dependent on AI? What happened, and how did you handle it?

I don't think project managers need to become AI engineers, but I wonder how much technical understanding is actually necessary when managing AI-related projects. Where would you draw the line between "enough knowledge to manage effectively" and "too technical for a PM role"?