From risk registers to real insight: How AI and Microsoft Copilot is revolutionising project risk management
In today’s fast-evolving digital landscape, artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping how organisations approach project and portfolio risk management. Sensei’s recent “Ask An Expert” session hosted by Ryan Darby, AI Expert and Success Lead, showcased how AI and Copilot-powered agents are transforming project risk management, moving from recording risks to delivering real, actionable insights. In this session, Ryan demonstrated how the use of these agents paves the way for practical, secure, and human-centered solutions that empower teams rather than replace them. Key takeout’s from the session are outlined below.
AI and Copilot agents: your new risk management allies
Forget the fear of robots taking over. The AI agents can act as diligent assistants, not replacements for project managers. These purpose-built agents are designed to:
- Identify risks in meeting transcripts and project documentation
- Rewrite risks to align with organisational risk standards
- Proactively surface risks from previous projects for use in new/similar initiatives
Crucially, every AI-suggested action is reviewed and approved by a human, ensuring that expertise and oversight remain at the heart of the process. For example, a “Risk Advice Agent” can scan historic projects and PMO-standard templates and automatically suggesting relevant risks based on project type. These suggestions then appear as drafts, ready for human validation before they’re entered into your risk register.
Turning conversations into risk intelligence
The session demonstrated how AI, and specifically Copilot, can transform unstructured meeting data into actionable risk insights. Imagine this: Copilot analyses your project stand-ups or planning session transcripts, flagging potential risks that might otherwise be buried in meeting minutes or forgotten discussions.
With seamless integration into tools like Microsoft Teams, users receive notifications to review, edit, and approve Copilot-suggested risks, without the need to juggle multiple systems. This frictionless workflow ensures that valuable risk intelligence is captured and acted upon, right where your team works.
Laying the groundwork: data and process matter
AI and Copilot’s power is only as strong as the data and processes behind it. Disorganised or inconsistent risk data can undermine even the most sophisticated solutions. To unlock its full potential, organisations should:
- Link risks to project milestones, dependencies, and benefits
- Standardise data with dropdowns and codified fields to minimise ambiguity
- Track treatments and actions for end-to-end risk oversight
- Consolidate organisational information into one system, like Microsoft 365.
Without this solid foundation, AI and Copilot tools may struggle or worse, introduce confusion rather than clarity.
The roadmap to AI-enabled risk management
Ryan’s advice was clear. AI transformation is a journey, not a quick fix. Here’s how to get started:
- Begin with real problems: Identify practical use cases, such as risk extraction from meeting transcripts, rather than simply “adding AI.”
- Build targeted solutions: Develop proofs of concept that address your unique challenges.
- Expand with care: Scale up thoughtfully, with strong governance and good change management practices for your people.
- Prepare your data: Standardise and secure your risk data to ensure it is AI-ready.
Empowering people, not replacing them
AI isn’t about automating away human judgment; it’s about freeing up your team to focus on what matters most. With the right design, AI agents become trusted collaborators, suggesting, checking, and updating risks to support smarter, faster decision-making.
If you’re already using platforms like Altus or Microsoft Copilot, much of this capability is available today. For others, the opportunity is ripe. With the right mindset, robust processes, and quality data, AI can become your organisation’s next indispensable risk assistant.
Ready to explore AI for risk management?
Sensei offers tailored workshops to help you discover where AI can add the most value to your project and portfolio governance. Connect with your Account Manager to learn more and start your journey toward smarter, AI-enabled risk management.
Want to see these AI agents in action? Watch the on-demand session here.
