Project Management and AI
David Salvagnini
9/18/2025
Artificial intelligence is transforming every walk of life. It’s impacting how we work, how we live, how we interact with one another, and how we solve the world’s biggest challenges. The pace of change is staggering, and we are only at the beginning of this journey.
Brad Smith Microsoft
Image by Copilot
Prompt:
“help me create an image to go along with the following quote <see above> The image should have a space innovation theme related to NASA.
Agenda
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CDO/CAIO One Integrated Team
Roles
Strategy
AI at NASA
Common Myths
NASA Project Management and AI in Action
Getting Started with AI
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Sara
Cermenaro
Deputy Chief Data Officer
Develops and manages data governance initiatives across the agency.
David Salvagnini
Chief Data & AI Officer
Sets vision and direction for NASA’s AI and data strategy and advocates for resources.
Adrianna “Anna” �Steers-Smith
Senior AI Advisor
Guides AI strategy, and technology roadmap ensuring impactful implementation.
Martin �Garcia, Jr.
AI Adoption & �Innovation Lead
Drives AI integration, �fostering innovation and strategic adoption.
Krista �Kinnard
Deputy Chief AI Officer
Drives AI innovation, �focusing on ethical practices, collaboration, and workforce empowerment.
Leadership
CDO & CAIO TEAM
INTRO TO THE CDO & CAIO
One integrated Team…
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Two Sides of One Team
Chief AI Officer
Chief Data Officer
Presenting data that is of known origin and curated is critical for AI – this doesn’t happen by accident, it requires commitment and process discipline
AI needs data more than data needs AI
INTRO TO THE CDO & CAIO
Role of the CDO
Data powers everything NASA does. It fuels every mission, discovery, and breakthrough.
The Chief Data Office (CDO) serves as NASA’s central force to turn data into mission power.
We accomplish this through a transparent, collaborative, sustainable, and non-invasive approach that supports our bold, ambitious mission: to manage data through FAIRUST (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable, understandable, secure, trustworthy) principles to provide trusted insights, support mission success, and enable innovation.
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Process: Save Time & Money �By driving efficient use of data resources, we improve data consistency and quality while slashing costs and reducing time spent on data cleansing and search.
Technology: Enable Innovation�By improving data integration and interoperability, we enable advanced applications and technologies like GenAI.
People: Empower Our Workforce �By improving agency coordination, sharing best practices, and clarifying roles and responsibilities for managing critical data assets, we empower the workforce to deliver NASA’s mission.
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Role of the CAIO
Orchestrate and facilitate NASA’s AI learning journey and the adoption of emerging AI capabilities and technologies to optimize mission and mission support
NASA Data Strategy
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People
Process
Technology
Goal 2: Data Culture (People)
Challenge: NASA does not have a mature enterprise data culture.
Solution: Empower NASA’s workforce by enhancing data collaboration, skills, understanding, and maturity.
Impact: A mature data culture empowers the workforce with trusted data-driven insights and improves their ability to deliver NASA’s mission.
Outcomes:
2.1 Enhanced Data Skills and Understanding
2.2 Designated Data Roles
2.3 Reinvigorated Data Community
Goal 1: Federated Data Management (Process) �
Challenge: NASA does not have consistent data governance and lacks effectively managed data.
Solution: Implement a FDGF and data management procedures, policies, and standards.
Impact: Properly governed data will improve consistency, quality, and reporting accuracy, thus reducing re-work, redundancies, and cost while enabling data-driven decision making.
Outcomes:
1.1 Operationalized Federated Data Governance Framework
1.2 Standardized Data Management Procedures
1.3 Published Comprehensive Data
Practices and Standards
Goal 3: Data Management Technology Capabilities (Technology)
Challenge: NASA does not have enterprise visibility or centralized management of its data.
Solution: Improve enterprise data management and increase data traceability through an agency-wide, accessible system.
Impact: A Data Management Hub will reduce workforce hours spent looking for and understanding data while improving institutional knowledge retention.
Outcomes:
3.1 Operationalized NASA’s Enterprise Data Architecture (EDA)
3.2 Established NASA Data Management Hub (NDMH) for Data Discovery
3.3 Expanded Cross-Mission Capabilities for �Agency-Wide Analytics
FY25-27 NASA Data Strategy
WHERE WE’RE GOING
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NASA AI Strategy
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People
Process
Technology
AI STRATEGIC GOALS
UNLOCK THE FULL POTENTIAL OF AI ACROSS THE WORKFORCE
EXPAND AI’S IMPACT ACROSS NASA’S MISSIONS
ADVANCE AI WITH SPEED, SECURITY, AND INTEGRITY IN OPERATIONS
INTRO TO THE CDO & CAIO
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AI at NASA
Artificial Intelligence drives how NASA explores our universe, revolutionizes air transportation and sends humans to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
CAIO ENABLES MISSION BY SETTING CONDITIONS FOR SUCCESS:
Driving AI Innovation.
Enhancing mission success, operational efficiency, and scientific breakthroughs �by accelerating data analysis, optimizing mission planning, and enabling autonomous systems for deep-space exploration.
Advancing AI Applications for�Sustained Exploration.
Developing solutions that expand human knowledge beyond Earth, optimizing resources and supporting long-duration missions, ultimately paving the way for a sustained presence in deep space.
Fostering a Culture of Excellence.
Streamlining AI integration across �NASA’s programs to maximize innovation, ensuring that all advancements uphold NASA’s longstanding commitment to �safety and integrity.
Strengthening AI Talent and Partnerships.
Investing in AI expertise and collaborations with industry, academia, and government agencies, cultivating the next generation of AI and space pioneers and leveraging collective knowledge to support mission goals.
Through these efforts, we solidify America’s leadership in both AI and aerospace, opening new frontiers for discovery and human progress.
NASA ACHIEVEMENTS IN AI
View more AI Success Stories on the CAIO OneNASA page
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Areas of focus - Value Creation for NASA
Common Myths
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Myth: AI will replace humans in the workplace.
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Myth: More sophisticated AI always delivers better results.
Myth: Once deployed, an AI system is ‘done’ or in ‘maintenance mode’.
Myth: ChatGPT said it, so it must be true.
Myth: Data quantity is our main problem—we just need more of it.
Myth: If we secure our data, our AI is secure.
Why AI Matters for Project Managers
Examples:
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The most common use of AI currently is customer service.
Most common ways companies are using AI
56%
of business owners use AI for customer service tasks.
AI is Part of Most People's Lives
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AI Tools, including chat tools, are significantly increasing usage in both the workplace and at home. Becoming familiar with AI and how it can be used is important to project managers to help stay ahead of the curve.
The global AI market is expected to reach�$1.85 trillion by 2030
Do you use AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity?
75.36%
20.06%
4.58%
Yes – at home, at work, or both
No, I don’t use AI at all
I’m not sure
Everyday
A few times a week
About once a week
A few times a month
Once a month
Less than once a month
Never – I do not use AI in my personal life
I’m not sure
How often do you use AI tools in your personal life?
Why Data and AI Matters to PMs
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NASA Example: Data-Driven AI in Action NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory uses AI trained on mission telemetry and project logs to:�
Powers Smarter Decision-Making
With access to real-time and historical data, AI can:
Drives Improved Automation
AI automates repetitive tasks by learning from structured data like:
�Enhances Continuous Improvement
AI tools track performance over time, helping PMs:
Your AI analysis will only be as good as your data – accurate data matters
Smarter Resource Allocation
Example: AI tools can help with suggesting task reassignments to balance workloads across the team
Automation of Routine Tasks
Example: AI-generated project dashboards updated in real-time
Better Stakeholder Communication
Example: Tailoring communications and generating executive summaries for C-suite stakeholders
NASA Project Management and AI in Action
AI-Enhanced Project Tracking at JPL
AI for Risk Management and Software Quality
AI in Mission Planning and Operations
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SPARTA an automated, customizable project/portfolio and engineering dashboard with integrated analytics to enable data driven decisions.
CURRENT STATUS�SPARTA is deployed. We are in progress with a GSFC pilot and SMD HQ pilot
NASA AI Use Case Spotlight
SPARTA provides a transformative capability to aggregate data across key data domains from disparate authoritative data sources (10 and counting) to display/visualize in a standard way that allows comparisons across the entire portfolio or deeper dives into project information. Learn More
Getting Started with AI at NASA
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GenAI Prompting Suggestions
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I am an executive administrator to a team director. Our newly formed team now consists of content marketers, digital marketers, and product marketers. We are gathering for the first time at a three-day offsite in Washington, DC. Plan activities for each day that include team bonding activities and time for deeper strategic work. Create a sample agenda for me.
PERSONA
CONTEXT
TASK
FORMAT
SATERN Training� AI Prompts
Questions/Discussion
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Collaborate With Us
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Check out NASA's AI Hub and the CAIO Tab on the AIML Community OneNASA to learn more about AI at NASA.
Join the AIML Agency Wide Teams channel to join the conversation.
Consultancy Portal: Find expert help with the AI/ML Consultation Portal
Join the Enterprise Data Working Group (EDWG) and the Data Stewardship Community of Practice to join the conversation.
Remember
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AI is not replacing Project Managers — it’s empowering them.
AI automates tedious project management tasks and reduces mistakes, enabling teams to be more productive, stay on schedule, and cut costs. In fact, studies show that 93% of project managers see a positive ROI from AI tools
Backup Slides
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Federated Data Governance �Framework