AI will make investing as simple as having a conversation: R. S. Srinivas Jain, SBI Mutual Fund

With mutual fund penetration in India still in single digits, SBI Mutual Fund is betting on conversational AI to make investing accessible, intuitive, and jargon-free. In an exclusive conversation with Express Computer, R. S. Srinivas Jain, Chief of Strategy, Digital & Technology at SBI Mutual Fund, discusses how the recently launched SmartAssist, an AI-powered WhatsApp-based investing assistant, is bridging the trust and accessibility gap in mutual fund adoption. Jain outlines the five pillars of SBI MF’s digital transformation, the role of conversational AI in making investing intuitive, and their commitment to inclusivity, security, and sustainability and how it blends scale and simplicity to bring first-time investors and distributors into the fold.

SBI Mutual Fund recently launched ‘SmartAssist’, an AI-powered WhatsApp-based assistant. What role do you see conversational AI playing in transforming the future of mutual fund investing, especially in a country as diverse as India?

Conversational ...