Bridging the Skill Gap: AI Literacy in Project Management Teams

Artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to revolutionize the way different functions of a project, including decision-making, automation, and prediction, are performed. On the other hand, the success of AI is essentially decided by the worker's ability to employ AI in a given field. This research aims to examine AI competency and the skill-based gap of project managers in Pakistan, in relation to the levels of organizational digital maturity, training, and supportive leadership, with regards to improving the ability to employ AI. A positivist research approach, including survey research in a quantitative form, was implemented, with a structured questionnaire sent to 320 project managers operating in information technology, construction, telecommunications, and the public and health service sectors. Data were extracted from the subgroups and analyzed using SPSS based on descriptive statistics, correlation, and regression analysis. The study revealed that the digital maturity of an organization, supportive leadership, and professional training significantly improved AI digital competency, and skill-based gaps. The research study revealed that in Pakistan, AI digital competency almost invariably improved positing, and AI Gap skill-based gaps negatively impacted the digital competency of project managers and the research study, and also implied that, on a national level, a lack of training, skill gaps, and variations of organizational readiness were the most rational barriers for successful AI integration. The study recommends that to increase competitiveness from organizational and national perspectives in the Pakistani digital market, organizations should provide targeted AI training and skill improvement programs. This is necessary for improving AI understanding and ensuring the responsible implementation of AI in project management.