Global Study Reveals AI Revolutionizing $48 Trillion Project Economy

The world's largest research on artificial intelligence in project management reveals a fundamental shift in how organizations execute and scale transformation. According to the 2025 Global AI in Project Management Survey conducted by Prof. Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez and Dr. Ricardo Viana Vargas, we are entering the Transformation Age where AI-powered projects are becoming the foundation of organizational and societal progress. The study gathered insights from 870 professionals across 97 countries, providing comprehensive data on how AI is reshaping project delivery.

AI adoption is accelerating at a remarkable pace with over 60% of professionals now using or experimenting with AI tools in their project work. More than half of organizations have integrated AI into their project delivery processes, signaling a mainstream adoption of these technologies. The impact of this integration is substantial early adopters report achieving up to 25% faster project execution along with measurable improvements in forecasting accuracy, resource management efficiency, and risk reduction capabilities. These gains are particularly significant given the scale of global project investment.

With $48 trillion invested in projects worldwide each year, even modest efficiency improvements could generate trillions of dollars in additional value across industries. The study emphasizes that AI should not be viewed primarily as a cost-cutting tool but rather as a means to unlock human creativity and enable more meaningful, value-creating work. As Prof. Nieto-Rodriguez states, The future of work is project-driven and increasingly, it is AI-powered. This perspective reframes the role of technology in project management from automation to augmentation.

The research also identifies a crucial shift in adoption barriers cultural resistance and lack of trust have now overtaken technical challenges as the primary obstacles to AI implementation. This finding underscores that successful transformation depends as much on people and organizational culture as on technological capability. Dr. Vargas reinforces this point, noting that AI will not replace project managers but will empower them to lead transformation and drive measurable results. The complete findings and analysis are available in the full white paper which provides detailed insights into how AI is redefining leadership, work, and organizational transformation in the project economy.