Executive summary
Grant Thornton partnered with ThoughtLab, an analytics-driven thought leadership firm, to sponsor and contribute to “The AI-powered investment firm,” a new global report examining how AI is reshaping the asset and wealth management industry. Based on a Q3 2025 survey of 500 senior executives across top investment markets, the findings reveal barriers and opportunities firms face as they navigate the next era of intelligent automation, as well as a playbook of best practices.
The asset and wealth management industry is at a turning point. Nearly three-fourths (73%) of asset management industry executives say AI is critical to their organization's future, according to a new global survey conducted by ThoughtLab. But many also struggle to translate that ambition into successful AI transformation.
“The AI-powered investment firm” report and playbook (PDF - 3MB) offers a roadmap for the agentic era, analyzing how industry leaders are embedding AI across their business and what sets them apart in driving real value from their AI investments across the maturity spectrum.
“AI is reshaping every part of asset and wealth management, from investment decisions to client engagement and compliance,” said Shona O’Hea, Grant Thornton’s Asset Management Head of Industry. “We partnered with ThoughtLab on this survey to hear from industry leaders directly to help firms move past experimentation and into delivering value. The firms making the biggest impact aren’t rushing to adopt every new tool, they’re aligning AI to strategy, building in stages and staying focused on their unique goals.”
Firms advance with AI, but adoption is a challenge
Leaders across the industry see AI as a game-changer: nearly two-thirds of survey respondents expect it to fundamentally reshape how they operate. Many are already advancing AI adoption across the front, middle and back office, using it to automate compliance checks, enhance client insights and streamline operations.
“AI will lift everyday productivity and embed agents across operations; firms must rethink operating models and oversight.”
But internal complexity is a major barrier. The survey report indicates organizational obstacles, fragmented technology and regulatory uncertainty are slowing transformation.
For many firms, AI is more than a technical lift, especially as they begin to adopt agentic AI. It requires enterprise-wide alignment, leadership buy-in and governance structures that embed AI into business strategy from day one.
How asset and wealth managers are using AI
- Firms are laying the groundwork for transformation. Seventy-seven percent have an effective AI strategy and roadmap in place.
- Traditional and generative AI are the focus. Most firms are building on earlier AI tools like machine learning and natural language processing, with 71% planning to adopt GenAI within three years. Less than 10% are currently using agentic AI, but 18% say they plan to over the next three years.
- AI is improving the advisor experience. Firms are using AI to automate tasks like analyzing survey feedback and creating personalized communications, freeing advisors to focus on human connection and strategic advice.
- Cultural and technological hurdles persist. More than half of respondents cite slow-moving cultures and limited access to quality data as major barriers to AI adoption.
- Data gaps are holding back progress. About half of firms lack basic processes to clean, normalize and tag internal data — or source high-quality external data — limiting AI’s effectiveness.
- Returns are mixed. Two-thirds report only modest ROI from AI, and 12% are seeing no returns or negative results.
What AI leaders are doing differently: Five best practices
Some firms are well ahead in driving measurable AI results. ThoughtLab assessed firms based on their innovation across seven pillars of AI maturity and the ROI they’re seeing from AI investments and found five best practices that set leaders apart.
1. Create an AI vision and culture to inspire change. Leaders don't just deploy tools, they align AI strategy to business goals and foster a culture of experimentation and adoption.
“The real differentiator is not only use cases but an effective AI strategy that drives adoption, literacy and long-term impact,” said Shane O’Neill, Grant Thornton Ireland Consulting Partner.
2. Build an AI-ready IT and data platform. Infrastructure is key to success. Leaders invest in modern, cloud-native systems, scalable data lakes and platforms that support secure AI deployment.
3. Install a robust AI governance, risk and regulatory framework. Clients, regulators and internal stakeholders all need confidence in how AI is used. Leading firms build trust by embedding governance, oversight and compliance into AI systems from the start, ensuring transparency, accountability and responsible use.
4. Prepare for the future of work: The asset manager’s role is evolving. As AI takes over routine tasks, humans will focus on creativity, strategy and oversight. Leaders are already preparing their workforce and developing AI-literate talent.
“Human workers will have peers in the form of AI agents that work and interact just like they do, and that are accountable for results. Humans will need to learn how to ‘operate’ or ‘activate’ AI processes within their job functions and step in to manage exceptions,” said Karan Gulati, Grant Thornton Business Consulting Partner.
5. Rethink business for the agentic era. The next phase of AI will be agentic. Leaders are designing for this future, accelerating GenAI adoption and embedding AI across workflows.
“Looking ahead, the evolution toward fully autonomous, agentic AI processes promises a new era — where self-directed AI agents manage complex tasks end-to-end, seamlessly embedded within the workforce model," Gulati said. "Forward-thinking firms are already engineering workflows where AI is not just an assistant, but a vital partner and enabler of innovation, efficiency and superior results. In this new landscape, AI is poised to fundamentally redefine wealth management, empowering advisors, protecting clients and delivering smarter outcomes at every step.”
Grant Thornton’s Shona O’Hea, Karan Gulati and Shane O’Neill served as strategic advisors and contributors to the survey’s development and provide key insights throughout the report.
Contributor bios:
Shona serves as Grant Thornton’s Head of Asset Management, leading the firm’s global community of professionals to address emerging trends and challenges in the industry. With more than 20 years of experience across industry, regulation and professional services, she brings deep expertise supporting asset and wealth managers, asset servicers and other institutions across the financial services sector. Based in Ireland, Shona collaborates with clients to deliver global solutions across their finance functions and financial operations, including financial reporting and accounting, compliance activities and finance systems and processes.
Partner, Business Consulting
Grant Thornton Advisors LLC
Karan is a people-focused transformation leader with 17+ years of experience guiding banks, wealth managers, and asset managers through complex enterprise change.
Iselin, New Jersey
Industries
- Asset Management
- Banking
- Technology, Media & Telecommunications
Karan is a transformation leader with more than 17 years of experience helping banks, wealth managers and asset managers navigate complex enterprise change. He combines deep financial services expertise with hands-on experience in digital adoption, process optimization, client onboarding and change management to deliver integrated, measurable results. Karan leads large-scale transformation programs, using his skills in mobilizing global teams and scaling business development to create lasting value for clients across the financial services industry.
Shane is a partner in Grant Thornton Ireland’s Advisory Services practice. With more than 17 years of experience across financial services and government sectors, he holds deep expertise in strategy development, technology delivery, M&A integration and fintech and regtech innovation. He brings his experience in senior leadership roles including CIO at a holding company and as a co-founder of an award-winning digital SaaS customer onboarding platform supporting clients with large-scale enterprise change programs.
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