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Drew Dudley, one of the world’s most dynamic keynote speakers and leadership advocates, joins us to redefine what it means to be a leader. Recognized for his TEDx talk, "Leading with Lollipops," Drew emphasizes that leadership is not reserved for the extraordinary. Instead, it’s about creating moments of impact through consistent daily actions. In this conversation, Drew shares his journey from a life-changing TEDx moment to becoming a global thought leader, highlighting the transformative power of recognizing everyday leadership.

After highlighting AI in nearly every prediction, it’s clear that this technology is the driving force behind the biggest shifts in project management. From integrated software features to new skill requirements, the landscape is quickly moving from AI hype to hands-on practicality.

My final takeaway for you: Become an AI literate project manager.

Organizations will begin creating virtual replicas—“digital twins”—of their projects to test scenarios and optimize solutions before going live. Although this concept has thrived in engineering, it’s just now crossing into mainstream project management.

In a rapid-fire look at three smaller trends, project management will see big changes in how we engage stakeholders, build custom PM tools, and draft contracts. These shifts each address a different pain point, but collectively move PM into a more dynamic, flexible era.

Many organizations will realize that using AI and big data without ethical standards can lead to biases, compliance issues, and costly mistakes. In 2025, PMs will take the first real steps toward owning data ethics—though the volume on this trend is only slightly turned up. We may have to wait until 2026 until this is a full roar.

AI will continue to handle repetitive tasks, but it won’t replicate human-centric skills like leadership and relationship management. PMs who focus on these softer skills will secure their place in an AI-driven world.

Project Managers will realize that basic AI skills and knowing how to write a prompt aren’t enough to stay competitive. Deeper AI literacy—including data management, ethical considerations, and strategic implementation—will become a PM career booster.

As AI tools become more integrated into project management workflows, teams may overburden them with endless requests, leading to their outright refusal to do any work whatsoever.

After the initial excitement around AI, many PMs will realize its limitations due to project data quality issues and slow-moving, gradual adoption that leaves much to be desired. This “Trough of Disillusionment” (See Gartner Hype-Curve) will prompt teams to focus on better data practices and realistic expectations.