Balancing AI and Human Expertise in Professional Certification Training – with Chris Scordo
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In this episode of the AI Today Podcast, host Kathleen Mulch interviews Chris Scordo, founder and managing director of PM Training, one of PMI's largest authorized training partners. The conversation centers on the evolving role of human expertise in professional certification training amid the rapid advancement of AI. Scordo shares real-world examples of how PM Training uses AI as an augmentative tool—such as developing internal AI assistants, training AI agents for customer support, and experimenting with avatar-driven course production—while emphasizing that human instructors, subject matter experts, and instructional designers remain irreplaceable. He highlights the importance of guardrails, transparency, and ethical AI use, noting that 48% of users request to be escalated to a human when they discover they’ve been interacting with an AI. Scordo also reflects on failed AI experiments, such as using AI to draft exam prep books, which produced technically accurate but shallow, unchallenging content that lacked the depth needed for effective learning. He argues that while AI excels at automating tasks, it cannot replicate human intuition, storytelling, or the nuanced design of challenging learning materials. The episode concludes with a forward-looking discussion on the need for project professionals to adopt product management mindsets, balance perishable and enduring skills, and embrace lifelong learning in an AI-driven world.
Human instructors and subject matter experts are irreplaceable in training due to their real-world experience and ability to engage learners.
AI should be used as an augmentative tool (co-pilot) rather than a replacement, especially in high-stakes learning environments.
Transparency about AI use builds trust—PM Training now labels AI agents as 'AI bot' or 'human' to improve user satisfaction.
AI-generated content can be technically accurate but lack depth, challenge, and authenticity, making it unsuitable for high-quality exam prep.
The 'uncanny valley' effect in AI avatars and voice synthesis can reduce learner engagement and perceived value.
…and 3 more takeaways available in PodZeus
Introduction to AI Today and PM Training
Kathleen Mulch introduces the AI Today podcast, now part of PMI, and welcomes Chris Scordo, founder of PM Training, the world’s largest provider of PMP certification training. She highlights the podcast’s mission to deliver actionable AI insights for project professionals.
The Human Element in AI-Driven Training
“At the end of the day, we still have people that are wildly experienced in the world of project management and bring real-world experience. And they're just not replaceable by AI.”
Personal and Business AI Experiments
“I ended up installing a headless version of Chrome so we could go out and search things and bring it back. However, what I've really learned is the guardrails that I need to put around this thing are tremendous.”
Transparency and Trust in AI Interactions
“48% of people that felt like they might have been talking to a human but it was AI asked to get escalated to a human agent.”
Failures and Lessons from AI-Generated Content
“It's just restating something multiple times. And so it's like, well, how did all this slip through? ... They're accurate, but they're not testing me.”
“48% of people that felt like they might have been talking to a human but it was AI asked to get escalated to a human agent.”
“It's just restating something multiple times. And so it's like, well, how did all this slip through? ... They're accurate, but they're not testing me.”
“Whether it's with agents or as co-pilots, as a personal productivity tool or at scale, you know, I am equal parts optimistic but skeptical, cautious of relinquishing too much control.”
Host
Guest
Chris Scordo
person
PM Training
organization
Project Management Institute
organization
PMP Certification
other
Kathleen Mulch
person
CPM AI
other
Sol.md
product
Slack
other
Claude Sonnet
other
Grok
other
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