PMI Canberra August 2026 - Hybrid Event: Two technologies promised to change everything

Two technologies promised to change everything. One became a punchline. One changed the world.

What does that tell us about AI and project management?

Leo Choudhary and Clive Trenton will take us through a framework for thinking about what AI will actually do to the project management profession — not the hype, but the structural shift already underway.

Their presentation deconstructs the PM role into three layers:

• Layer 1 - the administrative and mechanical: reporting, scheduling, documentation
• Layer 2 - contextual application: domain-specific judgment and decision support
• Layer 3 - uniquely human: stakeholder influence, mentorship, intuition

AI is already consuming Layer 1 and moving into Layer 2. That might sound like good news. But it raises two serious questions for the profession.

The first is the Visibility Problem. When quantifiable administrative tasks disappear, how do you demonstrate your value?

The second is the Apprenticeship Problem. When entry-level work is automated, where do the next generation of senior leaders come from?

The session closes with a choice: evolution, where the profession adapts to focus on higher-order work, or transformation, where entirely new roles emerge that we cannot yet imagine. And it argues that project management practitioners, not technologists, are best placed to decide which it will be.

Clive Trenton
Systems Engineering Practitioner

Clive has over two decades of experience as a Systems Engineering practitioner in the aviation and military sector. He has worked on a variety of projects and overseen every stage of the product lifecycle. Clive has notable achievements within the Engineering and Business domains, and his responsibilities have included multiple project portfolios across Maintenance, Policy Development, Governance, Project Management and Operational Testing. Clive began his career as an Aerospace Engineer in the Royal Navy, after which he transferred to the Royal Australian Navy and later theRoyal Australian Air Force. Since then, he has worked across several Defence Industry organisations such as Downer Defence Services, QinetiQ Australia, Leidos Australia, KPMG, and now Scyne, where he has provided extensive Engineering Support to Defence and other clients.

Leo Choudhary
Senior IT Strategy Consultant

Leo is a Senior IT Strategy Consultant with extensive experience in large Australian Federal Government Departments, including Defence, Home Affairs, and the Australian Taxation Office. With a demonstrated history of working in the management consulting industry for over 20 years, he is skilled in IT Strategy, Operating Model design, Business Process Improvement, Cloud Services, Agile Delivery, and Enterprise Architecture. Leo graduated from the Australian Graduate School of Management with a Master of Business Administration.