The world of AI development and engineering has drastically changed in recent years with the advent of generative AI. Now, almost anyone can create and interact with AI, shifting the landscape of who can work with AI outputs. This has led to the rise of the “citizen AI developer”, enabling more people within organizations to engage with AI projects. These casual users are not AI specialists but can utilize generative AI tools for tasks such as natural language processing and image generation.
While citizen AI developers have expanded the reach of AI within organizations, AI specialists are still crucial for more advanced projects. Certain patterns of AI, such as autonomous vehicles, require specialized teams of data scientists, machine learning engineers, and data engineers. The scope of AI teams is also growing to include project management roles and teams focused on trustworthy AI, addressing privacy, compliance, ethics, and governance considerations.
AI project managers play a critical role in keeping AI projects on track and ensuring they are following best practices and methodologies. Technology is just one aspect of successful AI projects, with people and processes being equally important. By implementing methodologies such as CPMAI, cognitive project management for AI, project managers can ensure the success of AI projects. As AI becomes more integrated into organizations, effective project management becomes increasingly essential.
The democratization of AI tools has allowed more individuals within organizations to engage with AI projects, but this does not replace the need for highly skilled AI specialists. While citizen developers can tackle basic AI tasks, more complex patterns of AI still require specialized teams. The modern AI team is much broader and complex than in the past, with a wider range of roles involved in AI project development.
The evolving AI team within organizations now includes AI specialists, citizen developers, project managers, and trustworthy AI teams. As AI becomes more core to organizations, having a well-rounded and skilled AI team becomes essential for the success of AI projects. By leveraging a combination of AI specialists and citizen developers, organizations can effectively navigate the complexities of AI project development and implementation.
