1NTRLINKS

&

2024

ArtificialIntelligence inM&AReport

Producedwith

Contents

Foreword 2

KeyFindings 4

Part1:Prevailing

AttitudesTowardAI 8

Part2:AIandthe

EvolutionofDealTeams 14

Part3:ApplyingAIinPractice 20

Part4:Regulationand

RisksofAIAdoption 28

LookingForward 32

Foreword

Artificialintelligence(AI)isreshapingthe

worldofM&A.AI-relatedtechnologies—

includingBigData,analyticstools,machinelearning(ML)andlargelanguagemodels

(LLMs)—arenowcommonlyappliedateverystageofthedealprocess,fromM&Astrategy

developmentandtargetidentificationallthewaythroughtoduediligenceand

post-mergerintegration.

Therateofthetechnology’sadoptioninM&Ahasbeenintense,anditseemsunlikelyto

slowdowninthenearterm.Forinstance,

consultancyBain&Co.forecastinearly2024thatgenerativeAI,thelatestfrontierforthistechnology,willbeemployedin80percent

ofM&Aprocesseswithinthreeyears,upfromaround16percentcurrently.AIisgoingtochangeeveryaspectofthewaydealmakerswork.

Againstthisbackdrop,wewantedto

understandhowdealmakers—bothcorporateplayersandprivateequity(PE)firms—are

approachingAI.Towhatextenthavethey

alreadyonboardedAItools,andwhathas

theeffectbeensofarontheirwayofdoingbusiness?Howdotheyseeadoptionevolvinginthemonthsandyearstocome?What

opportunitiesexcitethemmost—andwhatmostworriesthem?

Oursurveyof300globaldealmakers

addressespreciselythesequestions.Aboveall,itconfirmsthatdealmakers’abilityto

exploittheseinnovativetechnologieswillbeadecidingfactorintheirabilitytocompeteinM&Amovingforward.Practicallyallsurveyparticipants(97percent)saythatstaying

aheadofthecompetitionontechnological

capabilitiesisapriorityfortheirorganization.

2

3

FOREWORD

However,achievingthatgoalisnotstraightforward,and

dealmakersareawareoftheirshortcomings:45percentofthoseparticipatinginthisresearchbelievetheirabilityto

adoptnewtechnologiesis,atbest,averagewhencomparedtotheircompetitors.Thereissignificantworkto

bedone,andnodealmakercanaffordtotripandfallintoatechnologygap.

Aboutthisresearch

InH12024,Mergermarketsurveyed225corporateand75privateequity

(PE)dealmakersfromaroundtheworld;allhadcompletedatleastone

M&Adealinthepreceding12months.Oftheserespondents,100were

headquarteredinNorthAmerica,100inEMEA,50inAPACand50inLatinAmerica.CorporaterespondentshadaminimumannualturnoverofUSD50million,whilePErespondentshadassetsundermanagementofatleastUSDonebillion.

Whatareyourmainsectorsoffocus?(Selectatmostthreesectors.)

Technology,Media&Telecoms

Industrials&Chemicals

Energy,Mining&Utilities

ConsumerGoods

WeareaGeneralistFirm(optionforPEfirmrespondentsonly)

BusinessSupportServices(e.g.,

consultancy,education,recruitment)

Pharma,Medical&Biotech

FinancialServices

Construction

RealEstate

Transportation

Leisure&Hospitality

4%

4%

3%

2%

20%

26%

14%

14%

13%

13%

15%

7%

01

02

03

04

KEYFINDING01

AIistransformative

%

areconfidentinAI’s

32

transformativepotential

andthetechnology’svarious

applicationstotheiroperationsandM&Aprocesses.

Afurther36percentareatleastcautiouslyoptimisticbutrecognizethatAIintegrationwon’tbefreeofchallenges.

4

KEYFINDING02

5

01

Talentandskills

02

representacriticalstumblingblock

03

04

%

citetheneedtorecruitand

retainskilledpersonnelasthebiggestbarriertoimplementingAIoverthenext12-24months.

17percentpointtotheneedtotrainexistingstaffsothattheycanmoveawayfromlegacytechnology.

KEYFINDING03

6

01

Trainingpaysoff

02

03

%

04

sayinvestinginAItrainingfordealteamsisthemostvaluablemeasuretheyhavealreadytakeninresponsetotheongoingadoptionofthetechnology.

al

Athirdofrespondents(32percent)intendtoconsiderrestructuringdealteamsandtheirresponsibilitiesasAIadoptionaccelerates.

KEYFINDING04

7

01

Qualitycontrolisvital

02

03

%

04

citethenumberonerisk

25

associatedwithAIadoptionisensuringqualitycontrolandreliableperformance.

Dealmakersalsopointtodatasecurityandprivacyasakeyissue(19percent).

8

Part1:Prevailing

AttitudesTowardAI

Whileremainingwaryofthechallengesposedbytechnologyintegration,skillsshortagesandcybersecurity,dealmakersareembracingAItostaycompetitiveinM&A.

ThemajorityofdealmakersinourresearchbelieveAIissettohaveaprofoundimpactontheiroperationsandthewaytheyrunM&A

processes.JustfourpercentofrespondentsdescribethemselvesasskepticalaboutAI’spracticalapplications,withtheremainder

preparingtoembracethetechnology,albeitwithvaryingdegreesofgusto.

Atoneextreme,athirdofdealmakers(32

percent)mightbedescribedasenthusiastic,earlyadopters;theseorganizationsdescribethemselvesasconfidentinAI’stransformativepotentialanditspracticalapplicationsfor

theirbusinesses.Asecond,slightlylarger

group(36percent)isalsolargelypositive,

expressingcautiousoptimismaboutAI,

temperedbyconcernsabouttheadoptionandimplementationofthetechnology.Thethirdcohort(27percent)remainsmoreneutral,

whilekeepingacloseeyeondevelopments.

ThesegroupswillnaturallyintroduceAI

solutionsintheM&Aprocessatvarying

speedsandfocusondifferentaspectsof

dealmaking.Still,thenumberssuggestthat

dealmakersincreasinglyseeacceleratingAI

adoptionasinevitable,lesttheybeleftbehind.“WecanexpectAItobeadoptedswiftlyby

M&Ateams,”saystheheadofM&Aatone

WecanexpectAItobe

adoptedswiftlybyM&A

teams.Thosethatdonotwill

belesscompetitive.

HeadofM&A,

Switzerland-basedcorporate

9

PART1:PREVAILINGATTITUDESTOWARDAI

Whichofthefollowingstatementsbestdescribesyourorganization’soutlookonAI?(Selectone.)

40%

35%

30%

25%

20%

15%

10%

5%

0%

39%

37%

34%34%

32%32%

28%

21%

18%

6%

6%

2%

1%

0%0%

1%

CautiouslyoptimisticbutConfidentinAI’stransformative

Neutralopinionand

Skepticalabout

practical

Insufficientinformationor

appreciatetherearesignificantpotentialandapplicationsto

currentlytakinga

applicationsof

AItoour

practicalexperiencetoassess

challengestoAIintegrationouroperations/M&Aprocesses

wait-and-seeapproachtoAI

operations/M&A

processes

AI’srelevancetoouroperations

TotalAsiaPacificEurope,theMiddleEastandAfricaLatinAmericaNorthAmerica

4%4%

35%

36%

36%

36%

27%

27%

4%

Swisscorporate.“Thosethatdonotwillbelesscompetitive.”

EveninareasoftheworldwherethepaceofAIadoptionlookssettobealittleslower,thetechnologyisdefinitelyontheagenda.InLatinAmerica,forexample,fewerrespondentsto

thissurveyarefeelingoverlyconfident.But

thechieffinancialofficerofacorporatebasedinUruguaystillinsiststhat“dealmakingteamswilltrytosecureastrategicadvantageby

investinginAItools.”

Spendingsoars

Giventheseopportunities,manyorganizationsarerampinguptheirinvestmentinAI,with

spendinginthisareanowaccountingfor

asignificantchunkofoveralltechnology

expenditures.Aroundtwo-thirdsof

dealmakers(65percent)intendtoallocateatleast10percentoftheirorganization’stotaltechnologybudgettothedevelopmentof

AIcapabilitiesoverthenext12-24months.

Thatincludes46percentthatintendtospend

PART1:PREVAILINGATTITUDESTOWARDAI

10

Ofyourorganization’stotaltechnologybudget,roughlywhatpercentagewillbeallocatedtodevelopingAIcapabilitiesoverthenext12-24months?(Selectone.)

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

52%

49%

46%46%

41%

24%24%23%24%24%

20%

9%

14%

12%

2%

0%

1%

4%

1%

4%

6%

1%

0%

1%

0%

2%

Lessthan1%1%-5%5%-10%10%-25%25%-50%Morethan50%

TotalAsiaPacificEurope,theMiddleEastandAfricaLatinAmericaNorthAmerica

26%

18%

18%

8%

between10and25percentinthisway,while19percentexpecttomakeevenmore

significantinvestments.

Indeed,itisstrikingthatwhilethehighcostofAIisquotedbyasmallminorityofdealmakersasanobstacletoimplementation,most

respondentstothisresearcharenotfocused

onthisissue.Manyorganizationsareinsteaddeterminedtospendwhattheymuston

AIastheyseektoavoidbeingoutpacedbytheircompetitors.

Thisisnottosuggestthatothertechnologieswillbestarvedofcash.Organizationsacceptthattheymustembraceandbudgetfora

broadrangeoftools,fromcloudcomputingtocybersecurity.ButAIiscertainlymovingtocenterstageintheirshort-andmedium-terminvestmentplans.

Partoftheexplanationforthisincreasedspendisthatmanyorganizationsare

consciousthattheirearlyadvancesand

PART1:PREVAILINGATTITUDESTOWARDAI

11

AtwhatstageofAIadoptionisyourorganizationcurrently?(Selectone.)

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

49%

43%42%

40%

28%

22%22%23%22%

20%20%

17%

18%

16%

10%

4%

8%

8%

8%

7%

8%

8%

4%

1%

0%

1%

4%

0%

ImplementedsomeAI

Exploratorystage/

FullyintegratedAI

Hirednewspecialist

EstablishedadedicatedNocurrentplansforAI

toolseitherin-house

Monitoringindustry

intomostofouroperations

stafftopropel

taskforcetoassessadoptionorformaking

orfromthird-partyproviders

developments

andprocesses

ourAIstrategy

applicationofAItechnologiesinvestmentsin

atourorganizationAIbusinesses

TotalAsiaPacificEurope,theMiddleEastandAfricaLatinAmericaNorthAmerica

38%

9%

experimentswithAIcanonlygetthemsofar.Fewerthanoneinfivedealmakers(18percent)saytheyhavealreadyfullyintegratedAIinto

mostoftheiroperationsandprocesses.Whilealargercohort(43percent)haveimplementedsomeAItools,manyarebehindthecurve;

almostaquarterofrespondents(22percent)saytheirworkonAIisatanexploratory

stageorthattheyaresimplymonitoringdevelopmentsintheirrespectivesectorsandindustries.

Formanyorganizations,thisnodoubtreflectsnervousnessaboutwhetherthevaluecaseforAIhasyetbeenproven.“Technologyadoptioncanbedonesmoothly,butit’salsoimportant

tomonetizethesetechnologiesfully,”says

apartnerofaU.S.PEfirm.Inwhichcase,

theroll-outofAIcapabilitiesmaynotbe

accelerateduntilthereismoredataonreturnoninvestment.

PART1:PREVAILINGATTITUDESTOWARDAI

12

Skillsshortage

ForalltheirenthusiasmaboutAI,manydealmakersare

cognizantofabroadrangeofchallengesthatcouldfrustratethetechnology’sadoptionandimplementation.

Oneproblemisthatnolargedealmakerisstartingfrom

ablankslate—newtechnologiesmustworkalongside

theirorganization’sexistingtechnologystack.Indeed,the

challengemostcitedbydealmakersistheneedtointegratenewsystemsandtoolswithlegacytechnologies—morethanafifth(21percent)saythisisthebiggestissuetheyhave

struggledwithoverthepasttwoyears.

“Integratingnewsystemswillbeaburdenasitwillinterferewithourregulartasks,”admitstheCFOofaU.S.corporate.“Teamsalreadyhaveworklinedup,andtechnology

integrationwillbeatime-consumingprocess.Anditisnot

justthetechnologydivisionwhoareinvolvedinthisprocess.”

AnothercommonproblemthathashindereddealmakerstodatehasbeenthedifficultyofrecruitingandretainingtalentwiththeskillsneededforAIimplementation(18percent).

ThisissuelookssettobecomeevenmoreseriousamidaglobalshortageofworkerswithAIexpertise.Indeed,whenaskedaboutthechallengeslikelytostandinthewayofthe

A.)Concerningnewtechnologies,includingartificialintelligence(AI),whathasbeenthebiggestbarriertoimplementationforyourorganizationoverthelast12-24months?(Selectone.)B.)Whatdoyouexpecttobethebiggestbarriertoimplementationofnewtechnologies,includingAI,atyourorganizationoverthenext12-24months?(Selectone.)

21%

16%

20%16%

18%

18%

11%

17%

11%

6%

9%

Highcosts

8%

5%

10%

5%

9%

0%5%10%15%20%25%

Biggestbarriertoimplementationoverthelast12-24months

Biggestbarriertoimplementationoverthenext12-24months

Lackofsupportorinternalknowledgeto

maintainandmanagetechnologyafterithasbeenadopted Poorlevelsofcollaborationbetween

Integratingnewsystems/

transferringdatafromlegacysystemstonewones

Trainingexistingstafftoasufficientlevelthat

theymaymoveawayfromlegacytechnologiesandprocesses

Resistancetochange/gettingbuy-infromkeystakeholders

Dataprivacy/cybersecurityconcerns

in-houseteams(e.g.,between

Sourcing/retainingskilledpersonnel

techstaffanddealteams)

PART1:PREVAILINGATTITUDESTOWARDAI

13

implementationofnewtechnologiesover

thenexttwoyears,talentrecruitmentand

retentionistheprimaryconcern,with18

percentofrespondentsunderliningthisissue.

“AIisbeingadoptedbymanyindustriesand

markets.Sincethetechnologyhasemerged

inanacceleratedmanner,thereisboundtobeaskillsshortage,”saystheheadofM&Aata

Frenchcorporate.“ItwillbeoneofthebiggestbarrierstoadoptingAIwithinourcompany.WemaynotbeabletofindthetalentrequiredtosupportourAI-relatedobjectives.”

Upskillingexistingstaffmaybetheanswer,oratleastpartofthesolution,formany

organizations.But17percentofdealmakersexpectthistobeamajorchallengeover

thenext12-24months,comparedtoonly11percentwhosayithasbeenakeyproblemoverthepasttwoyears.

Oneproblemhereisthatastechnologies

becomemorecomplexandtoolssuchasAIevolvemorequickly,bringingexistingstaffup

tospeedwillbecomeevenmorechallenging.Equally,thetimeanddepthoftraining

requiredislikelytopullstaffawayfromtheirday-to-daytasks.

“Teamsdogetaccustomedtocertain

solutions,andtheincorporationofnewtechnologieswillbeseenasaburden,”

warnstheglobalheadofstrategyata

Japanesecorporate.“Teamleaders,too,needtoorganizetraining,andthiscausesalotofdowntime.”

Oneotherchallengeisalsoimportantto

note:Oneinfivedealmakerssayconcerns

arounddataprivacyandcybersecurityhave

stymiedtheirimplementationplansfornew

technologies,includingAI,overthepast12-24months,and16percentexpectthistoremainthenumberonechallengeinthenextcoupleofyears.Inaneraofgrowingregulationand

mountingcyberthreats,somedealmakersarerightlyveryuncomfortableabouttheriskof

exposingthemselvestoadditionaldangersbyonboardingpotentiallyunsecuretechnologies.

Wemaynotbeableto

findthetalentrequired

tosupportourAI-related

objectives.

HeadofM&A,

France-basedcorporate

“Dataprivacyconcernsmayincreasewhenweadoptemergingtechnologies,”warnsthemanagingdirectorofaPEfirmbasedintheU.S.“Thevulnerabilitiesarenotalwayslistedclearlywhenadoptingnewertechnologies.Untilweevaluatethesevulnerabilitiesfully,wewillbeknownasthelateadopters.”

14

Part2:AIandthe

EvolutionofDealTeams

AI-driveninsightshavethepotentialtogenerategreatvalueduringtheM&Aprocess,thoughsignificanttrainingisneededtocapitalizeonthetechnology.

AItoolsarealreadychangingthewaysthatsurveyeddealmakerswork.Indeed,only23percentsayAIhasnotyethadameaningfulimpactontheirday-to-dayrole.AndeveninLatinAmerica,whereAItoolshavegainedrelativelylesstraction,fewerthanathird

ofdealmakers(32percent)saytheyareinthisposition.

ThegoodnewsisthattheimpactofAIto

datehasbeenlargelypositive.Forexample,62percentofrespondentssaythatAIis

creatingnewopportunitiesfordealmakers.Manyoftheseopportunitiesarediscussedinmoredetailthroughoutthisreport,butitis

increasinglyclearthatAItoolsarevaluableateverystageofthedealprocess,fromtargetsourcingtopost-dealintegration.

Moreover,AIalsohasaroletoplayin

supportingsomeoftheancillarytasks

ofdealmakers.Notleast,58percentof

dealmakerssayAItoolshaveenhancedtheirreportingcapabilities.Theabilitytoexecutedeal-relatedworkinthiswayrepresents

animportantopportunityinitsownright.Morebroadly,dealmakersareexcitedbytheproductivityimprovementsthatAI

nowpromises.Almosthalfofrespondents(44percent)saythatAItoolshavealready

improvedtheirM&Ateams’efficiency.As

implementationsgatherpace,thatfigureislikelytoincrease.

Totakefulladvantage,dealmakersmustnowconsiderhowbesttoapplyAItoolsintheir

operationstomaximumeffect;rolesmayneedtochangetooptimizevalue.Theopportunityexiststofreeupresourcesthatcanbe

deployedwheretheyareneededmost.

“AsweadoptAIandnewertechnologieswithinthedealmakingprocess,therequirementsofourdealteamswillchange,”saystheglobal

headofstrategyatoneJapanesecorporate.

15

PART2:AIANDTHEEVOLUTIONOFDEALTEAMS

HowisAIaffectingyourjobtoday?(Selectallthatapply.)

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

71%

62%

65%62%

63%

56%

49%

50%

44%

43%

32%

22%

23%

22%

23%

20%

CreatesnewopportunitiesProvidesgreaterreportingcapabilitiesImprovestheefficiencyofmyteamIthasn’tmeaningfullyaffectedmyjobyet

TotalAsiaPacificEurope,theMiddleEastandAfricaLatinAmericaNorthAmerica

48%

58%

58%

57%

“Wewillneedtoconsiderreassigningseveraldutiesthatwillbeautomatedgoingforward.Ourteamscanthenoverseeothercore

aspectsofthedealtransaction.”InGermany,theheadoffinanceatacorporatemakes

asimilarpoint,arguingforchangesinhowandwherestaffwork.“Ouraimwouldbe

torestructuredealteams,”theexecutive

says.“Wecanemphasizebetterdealmaking

timelinesbyrestructuringdealteamsandwecangetmorevaluefromdeals;forinstance,

duediligencepersonnelcanbereassignedtootherimportantfunctionssuchasintegration.”

Holisticapproach

AskedtoidentifyonepartofthedealmakingprocesswhereAIissettohavethegreatestimpact,mostrespondentsfocusoneitherthe

beginningofatransactionoritsclose.

First,almostathirdofdealmakers(31percent)believethatdealoriginationiswhereAIis

goingtodrivechangetothegreatestextent;thattheemergingsuiteofAItoolswillhelp

themcomeupwithnewideas.Byproviding

data-driveninsights,AIenablesdealmakerstomakebetter-informeddecisions,toidentifyhiddentrendsandpatterns,andtosimulatea

PART2:AIANDTHEEVOLUTIONOFDEALTEAMS

16

broadrangeofscenarios.Inaddition,AIcanhelpdealmakersinvestigateamuchbroadercorpusoftargetsinordertobuildmorecomprehensivelistsofviabledeals.Then,itcanhelp

themstreamlinetheprocessofnarrowingthesedowntopotentialtransactionsthatrepresentthebestpossiblefit.Inshort,AIoffersdealmakersameanstobuildandexecuteamuchmoreholisticM&Astrategy.

Meanwhile,attheotherendofthedealtimeline,24percentofrespondentsbelieveAI’sgreatestimpactwillbetofacilitate

betterintegrationofthetargetonceatransactionhasbeen

completed.DealmakersareexcitedaboutAI’spotentialto

expediteintegrationplanningandexecution—withautomatedworkflows,intelligentsystemsandimprovedculturalalignmentallexpeditedbyAI.Giventhatsuccessthereinwillultimately

determinewhetheradealcreatestheexpectedvalue,suchapplicationsarepotentiallyhugelyimportant.

Thisisn’ttosuggestAIisnotgoingtohaveaconsiderable

impactonotherstagesofthedealprocess.Indeed,justoverafifthofrespondents(21percent)believethemoststrikingeffectoftheshifttowardAIwillbetospeedupdealmaking.Relatedly,15percentsayAIwillmakeamaterialdifferencetothenumberofdealsthatsuccessfullyclose.

InwhatwaydoyoubelieveAIwillmostimpactdealmaking?(Selectone.)

UncoveringnewideasviaAI-driveninsights

Facilitatingbetterpost-transactionintegration

Increasingspeedoftransactions

Generatinghighercloserates

Increasingaveragebidprices

24%

21%

31%

15%

9%

PART2:AIANDTHEEVOLUTIONOFDEALTEAMS

17

Teamtransformation

Theprospectoffasterdealmakingwithfewerfailed

transactionsisanattractiveone,butmayrequiresome

toughchoices.Forexample,withfewermanualtasksindealprocesses,someorganizationsmaychoosetoreducestaffnumbersratherthanredeployresources.

“Goingforward,wecannotinvestintechnologyand

maintainthedealteamsizeatthesametime;wehaveto

makereductionssomewhereinordertoworkmorecost-

effectively,”concedestheoperatingpartnerataPEfirminSingapore.“Processeshavebeenautomatedandthemanualinterventionsrequiredhavesignificantlydecreased.”

Someofthesechangesarealreadytakingplace—butthe

overallpictureismixed.Forexample,while17percentof

dealmakerssaytheyhavereducedthesizeoftheirdeal

teamsasaresultofimplementingAItools,twiceasmany(34percent)haveincreasedstaffinglevels.Thoseinthelatter

campmayfeelthatAInowprovidesthemwithanopportunitytoexpandthescopeoftheirM&Astrategies—andthat

headcountsneedtoincreaseaccordingly.

ConcerningtheimpactofAIondealteamsspecifically,whichofthefollowing

stepshasyourorganizationalreadytaken?(Selectallthatapplyandidentifythesinglemostvaluablesteptakensofar.)

43%

4%

15

13%

25

%

%

%

50%

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%

AllthatapplyMostvaluable

InvestedinAItrainingfordealteams

ImplementeddedicatedAIethicsanddatasecurityprotocols

Restructureddealteamsandresponsibilities

Increasedsizeofdealteams

Reducedsizeofdealteams

44%

34%

78%

17

PART2:AIANDTHEEVOLUTIONOFDEALTEAMS

18

Overall,themostcommonsteptaken

byorganizationsinthecontextoftheir

implementationofAItoolshasbeentoinvest

intrainingfordealteams.Morethanthree-

quartersofdealmakers(78percent)have

alreadyprovidedsuchtraining,andnearlyhalf(43percent)saythishasbeenthemostvaluablethingtheyhavedone.TheAItrainingmarket—spanningeverythingfromextendedin-personcoursestoin-officeseminarsandworkshops,aswellase-learning—willinvariablycontinuetogrowtomeetthisdemand.

Someofthattrainingwillberequiredtoequipdealteamswiththetechnicalskillstousenewtools.ThatcouldincludesupportinareassuchasBigData,analyticsandnaturallanguage

processing.Buttherewillalsoneedtobeanemphasisonhowtoapplythesetechnicalskillsformaximumeffectintheleadupto,duringandaftertransactions.

Similarly,manyorganizationswillwantto

providestaffwithtraininginareaswhereAItoolsraisenewquandaries.Theethicsof

AI,forexample,areanincreasingconcern

formanytechnologists.Questionsaround

dataprivacyandsecuritywillalsoneed

tobeaddressed.Indeed,44percentof

respondentstothissurveysaytheyhave

alreadyimplementeddedicatedAIethicsanddatasecurityprotocols.Providingdedicatedtrainingintheseareaswillbecrucial.

Morebroadly,theopportunityhereisto

usetrainingtoensurethatdealmakersare

maximizingthevalueoftheirAIinvestments.“Thereareopportunitiestoenhancethe

knowledgeofdealteams,”saystheCFOofa

Braziliancompany.“ComprehensiveAItrainingcanchangethewayweleveragetechnology

assetsgoingforward.WeneedtofindmoreapplicationstoenhanceM&Atransactionsinthefuture.”

Lookingtothefuture,AIimplementationisaworkinprogress,withmanydealmakersstillthinkingaboutwhatotherstepstheymay

takeasthesenewtoolsareblendedintotheirorganizations’processes.

Certainly,M&Aprofessionalscanexpecttoseefurtherchangesinthewaytheywork.Some

41percentofrespondentstothisresearchsaytheyarenowconsideringrestructuringtheirdealteams—andalmostathird(32percent)saythisistheirmostpressingpriority.

Themannerofrestructuringwillvary

enormously,withnoclearpictureyetofwhichrolesmightchangeandhowstaffmightbe

askedtoworkdifferently.Similarly,thejury

remainsoutontheimpactofAItoolsondealteamnumbers.Almostafifthofrespondents(19percent)saytheyareconsideringreducingthesizeoftheirdealteams,butninepercentarethinkingaboutexpandingheadcount.

Thereisacasetobemadeforbothcoursesofaction.Ontheonehand,automationprovidesanopportunitytoeliminaterolesthatrequiremanymanualinputs.Ontheother,ifAItoolsbroadenM&Aopportunitiesfororganizations—byhelpingthemtocomeupwithnewideas,forexample—theymayneedlargerteamstopursuethese.

PART2:AIANDTHEEVOLUTIONOFDEALTEAMS

19

Eitherway,itisgoodnewstoseesomanydealmakersalreadythinkinghardaboutAIethicsanddatasecurity.Closetoa

thirdofrespondents(29per