When Machines Manage

The study aims to investigate the adoption and impact of artificial intelligence (AI) in project management (PM) in Kazakhstan. One hundred fifty-nine experts from the academic and industrial sectors provided the survey data. Statistical methods, social network analysis, and analysis of variance were used to evaluate the significance of changes in the impact of AI, using a Tukey post-hoc test. The study results showed differences in the degree of AI adoption across eight PDs and the need for a customized approach to maximize the benefits of AI in PM. The research found that different PDs see different effects of AI on project success. Low technology readiness, financial constraints, and insufficient experience were the main barriers to effective AI adoption. This study offers practical recommendations for project-oriented companies implementing AI, thereby filling a gap in the literature by proposing PM as a new application area for dynamic models of human-machine interaction. Future studies should expand the geographic sample and add other factors influencing AI applications.