On 18 July 2026, the PMI Chennai Chapter hosted an engaging Tech Talk on "Leading in the Age of Agentic AI" at the IIT Madras Research Park. The session attracted around 150+ project management professionals, industry leaders, and AI enthusiasts, who participated in an interactive discussion on how Agentic AI is transforming the future of project leadership.

The session began with a creative opening by Dr Dinesh Thavamani and Satyanarayanan Visvanathan, setting the tone for an engaging and impactful learning experience. Followed by that, the speaker Madhan Ram, Founder & CEO, ThetaZero, introduced participants to the evolving landscape of Agentic AI—explaining the distinction between AI agents and Agentic AI, the building blocks of intelligent agents, and how modern AI systems combine large language models, tools, and governance to deliver meaningful outcomes.

A key highlight was the Project Manager's Playbook for the AI era, which emphasized the changing role of project professionals—from task owners to outcome orchestrators, from status reporters to insight curators, and from process followers to judgment providers. The audience also explored the three stages of AI adoption, practical use cases across planning, reporting, risk management, and stakeholder communications, while reinforcing the importance of human judgment in high-impact decisions.

The talk concluded with practical guidance on how project managers can begin their AI journey immediately by delegating a single task to AI, learning to critically review AI-generated outputs, and focusing on governance and data quality as essential foundations for successful AI adoption. Additional insights into AI memory models and effective system prompting provided attendees with a deeper understanding of how modern AI agents operate in enterprise environments.

The session received an overwhelmingly positive response, with participants appreciating its practical approach, real-world examples, and actionable takeaways. The enthusiastic engagement throughout the event reflected the growing interest within the project management community in leveraging Agentic AI to enhance decision-making, productivity, and leadership capabilities.

PMI Chennai Chapter extends its heartfelt gratitude to all participants, speakers, volunteers, and partners for their enthusiastic participation and unwavering support, which made the event a resounding success.

The engaging discussions, insightful knowledge sharing, and collaborative spirit demonstrated throughout the session reflected our collective commitment to continuous learning and professional excellence in the evolving world of project management.

 

As the profession continues to embrace the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence, PMI Chennai Chapter remains committed to curating impactful knowledge-sharing initiatives that equip project professionals with the skills, perspectives, and best practices needed to excel in an AI-enabled future. We look forward to welcoming you to many more thought-provoking sessions that inspire innovation, foster meaningful connections, and empower our project management community to lead with confidence and purpose.