In The Gentle Singularity, Sam Altman describes a world being gradually reshaped by AI. Not through one explosive moment, but through a steady, compounding evolution. A change that builds so quietly that we hardly notice it — until we look back and realise the foundations have shifted.

That same transformation is underway in project delivery.

We are not heading toward a new era. We are already in it.

AI agents are being embedded in assurance processes. Language models are supporting scheduling and risk analytics. Data pipelines are beginning to replace manual reporting. Project teams are augmenting their workflows with tools that didn’t exist 18 months ago.

But here’s the challenge: the pace of technological change is now far outstripping the pace of professional and organisational adaptation.

The window is closing

The recent UK Government paper, Data Analytics and AI in Government Project Delivery, was initiated in June 2023. That’s just two years ago yet it feels like a different era.

In those two years, we’ve seen a leap in capability. AI tools have moved from lab experiments to operational pilots. Models are more powerful. Interfaces are more accessible. Solutions that once took months to configure can now be built in days.

The intent behind the paper is clear. It rightly highlights the potential for AI and data analytics to transform project delivery. But recognising the opportunity is only the first step. We now need to turn ambition into implementation.

This is not a criticism. Government has an essential role to play as a catalyst. It can unlock access to data, create safe spaces for innovation, and build shared infrastructure that others can build upon.

But it cannot do it alone. Imagine what we can do if we collaborate at scale. 

Top-down will never be fast enough

We cannot rely solely on central strategies or policy-led initiatives. The scale of change we are facing demands a more open, distributed and community-driven approach.

If we are to close the gap between what is possible and what is practiced, we need to focus on enablement. That includes:

  • IT environments that are flexible, secure and experimentation-friendly
  • Access to data that is structured, discoverable and shareable
  • People with the right skills in AI, data and delivery
  • Space to test and learn, without fear of failure
  • Mechanisms to share learning across teams and organisations

No single entity can do this alone. The complexity is too great. The pace is too fast. The resources are too scattered.

A new model for change: community-led delivery transformation

We need to stop duplicating effort and start collaborating at scale.

That’s the model being pioneered through the Project Data Analytics (PDA) Coalition. It’s not theoretical. It’s practical and focused. Organisations including Rolls-Royce, EDF, United Utilities, Ministry of Defence, Thales, Environment Agency, Hitachi Rail, Projecting Success and many others are already working together. Not just in principle, but in real-world projects.

We are building product groups to reimagine entire functional disciplines. Running hackathons. Sharing insights. Developing open-source solutions. Connecting apprenticeships to drive coherent product pipelines. And learning together as a profession.

It’s not about cutting-edge for the sake of it. It’s about improving outcomes... more confidence in delivery, earlier warning signals, smarter assurance, better return on investment.

Why it matters now

If we continue to approach transformation as a series of isolated pilots, we will fall further behind. Other industries are already accelerating. The tools are here. The ideas are proven. The barrier is not technology. It is coordination.

We need government to enable. Industry to engage. Academia to contribute. And delivery teams to take action.

A call to action

Let’s not allow the gentle singularity to pass us by. Let’s shape it together.

We need:

  • Procurement principles that favour those who work collegiately, for mutual benefit
  • Funding models that reward experimentation and scale-up
  • Shared learning environments that move beyond organisational boundaries
  • Communities that pool their efforts rather than reinvent the wheel
  • Stronger alignment between skills development, delivery capability and technology deployment

The singularity in project delivery is already underway. The only question is whether we will shape the change or be shaped by it.

Now is the moment to act. Let’s move with purpose. Together.