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I’m Building A Digital PM AI Agent Whether I Like It Or Not

The Digital Project Manager

Chapters
0:00
Cold Open On The AI Dilemma
1:50
Show Setup And Guest Introduction
4:37
Are We Automating Ourselves Away
11:07
TPM Ratios And Why Help Is Needed
17:17
The Intake And Triage Pain Point
25:02
Mindset Shift Imposter Syndrome And Scope
32:32
Collaboration Gets Reset Across Silos
37:32
The Stack Gumloop Slack Jira MCP
44:32
Workflow Details Triggers Threads And Tickets
49:02
Measuring Value Time Saved And Sentiment
52:17
Adoption Change Management And Empathy
56:22
Future AI Fluency And Community
59:32
Where To Find Alla And Closing
The Digital Project Manager
I’m Building A Digital PM AI Agent Whether I Like It Or Not
Jun 16, 2026
Galen Low

AI is forcing every function to reevaluate what creates value—and project management is no exception. In this conversation, Alla Tarasenko, Principal Technical Program Manager at Gusto, shares why building AI agents isn't about replacing program managers. It's about reclaiming capacity for the work that matters most: coaching teams, improving processes, and driving cross-functional alignment.

Alla walks through the practical realities of building an AI-powered intake and triage system that serves more than 1,000 internal stakeholders, the unexpected challenges that emerge after the first successful prompt, and why change management may become one of the most important leadership skills in the AI era. More importantly, she offers a thoughtful perspective on how AI could break down silos and create stronger collaboration across technical teams—if leaders are intentional about how they implement it.

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