- August 25, 2026
- Posted by: Sang Le
- Categories: A.I., AI in Project Management, Project
AI in Project Management: Tony Lockwood on AI, Human Judgement and the Future of Transformation
How is AI changing project management and transformation management?
In the latest greyfly.ai AI in Project Management interview, Lloyd Skinner, CEO of greyfly.ai, speaks with Tony Lockwood, transformation leader, author and host of the Transformation Leaders podcast, about how artificial intelligence is changing project delivery, transformation leadership and decision making.
The conversation explores a central question facing project leaders today: how can organisations use AI to make faster, better informed decisions without removing human judgement and accountability?
Tony discusses practical applications of AI in transformation, including faster research and analysis, AI assisted decision making, digital twins, governance and the changing role of human leadership.
How can AI improve project management decision making?
One of the clearest opportunities for AI in project management is its ability to analyse and synthesise information significantly faster than traditional approaches. During the interview, Tony describes completing research in one day that could previously have taken three or four weeks. He also explains that the quality was comparable to what he would have expected if a team had carried out the research. For project and transformation leaders, this illustrates an important practical use of AI. It can reduce the time required to collect, process and interpret large amounts of information. This can give project managers, PMOs, sponsors and senior leaders earlier access to the evidence they need to understand risks, evaluate options and make informed decisions.
Will AI replace human judgement in project management?
Tony’s view is clear: AI should support human judgement rather than replace it.
As he explains during the interview:
“Use AI in a way that helps you collate information, but don’t let it take away the judgment.”
This distinction is particularly important in complex projects and transformation programmes. AI can process information quickly, but project decisions are often made with incomplete data and require experience, context and judgement. Tony argues that this is where people continue to play a critical role. He also highlights the importance of accountability. Leaders remain responsible for organisational outcomes, meaning AI should provide stronger decision intelligence while people retain responsibility for the final decision.
Can AI become a digital coach for project and transformation leaders?
The interview also explores how AI could move beyond automation and become an intelligent support capability for project and transformation professionals. Tony discusses a digital twin based on the Transformation Leaders Body of Knowledge that he has developed using the collective experience contained within the book.
The AI acts as a 24/7 coach and mentor.
Rather than simply telling a leader what to do, it asks about the context of the transformation and the challenges being faced. It then helps the individual consider different perspectives and reach a stronger judgement.
This demonstrates how generative AI in project management could evolve beyond producing reports, plans and administrative outputs. AI could increasingly help project professionals evaluate complex situations, challenge assumptions and understand the potential consequences of different decisions.
Why is AI governance important for project management?
Successful AI adoption is not only about selecting the right technology. Tony highlights the importance of establishing clear AI governance, including defining how employees can use AI, what they can use it for and how organisational data is protected.
For organisations introducing AI into project and transformation environments, these controls are essential for creating confidence in how AI generated insight is produced and used. This means the future of AI enabled project management will require organisations to combine technology with governance, data, people, processes and leadership.
What does AI mean for the future of project management?
The conversation between Lloyd Skinner and Tony Lockwood points towards a broader evolution in project management. The opportunity is not simply to automate more project management activities. It is to use AI to provide better information, faster analysis and stronger decision support while keeping experience, judgement and accountability with people.
For project managers, PMO leaders, project sponsors and transformation executives, this could mean spending less time gathering and processing information and more time understanding what that information means for project outcomes. As AI capabilities develop, the organisations that generate the greatest value are likely to be those that successfully combine AI intelligence with human judgement.