Report shows modest use of AI in intermediary distribution-related data initiatives
The use of AI by asset managers in their sales and marketing to financial advisors is not expected to happen at pace, according to a new report.
While 59% of asset managers who took part in a poll by Fuse Research Network said they use AI in any of their intermediary distribution-related data initiatives, only 11% of firms describe their AI use in any distribution data effort as “modest” or “heavy.”
Usage is generally focused on predictive analytics, lead generation, segmentation of advisors, and matching product opportunities to prospects.
“Asset managers are still years away from seeing ChatGPT and other Generative AI tools have a transformative effect on their data-driven sales strategies. In the meantime, Gen AI is producing modest but welcome boosts to productivity,” said Loren Fox, Director of Research at FUSE Research Network and the project leader of the survey.
The survey included 26 asset managers with $5.1 trillion in aggregate intermediary assets and revealed that there are significant obstacles to them going deeper with their AI usage for sales and marketing to advisors.
“Many asset managers still don’t have the large, clean, organized data sets required to use Gen AI. It’s expensive to adapt Gen AI tools to work with a firm’s data. And many asset managers lack the personnel that know how to apply AI to their data,” added Fox.
Years away
Gaining these data sets requires experienced personnel and investment and the report found that just 41% of firms employ data scientists including 50% of the larger firms with at least $200 billion in intermediary assets and 29% among smaller firms. However, a quarter of firms said they plan to hire data scientists in the next 12 months.
“Asset managers have made progress in recent years in applying data to intermediary sales and marketing. But the industry is in the early stages of taking the next step forward and adding AI to the mix. That will come, but it’s clearly a few years away,” concluded Fox.
