How AI is helping fund managers optimise for impact and returns

Imagine being asked to read two hundred company updates before breakfast, notice what’s different from last quarter, check whether the market has quietly changed its mind about a sector, and then decide what to buy, sell or leave alone. Humans can do this – just not every day, at speed, without missing things. This is where artificial intelligence has become useful in asset management: not as a crystal ball, but as the tireless research assistant that never forgets, never gets bored and always shows its working.

The real shift is simple to describe. Investment teams are now able to see more, sooner, and to test hunches properly before money moves. Modern tools can skim transcripts, filings and news; cross-reference them with prices and fundamentals; and highlight meaningful changes in plain language. Instead of trawling through pages of boilerplate, an analyst can ask, “What’s ...