BOISE, Idaho, NEW YORK, CHICAGO, LONDON and HONG KONG, August 06, 2026 — New research from Clearwater Analytics — “GenAI and the Data Divide” — reveals how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the way institutional investors interact with their asset managers.
The research, covering insurance asset managers, hedge funds, private markets specialists, and general asset managers, finds that every respondent has seen an increase in client enquiries about their use of AI.
More than two-fifths (43%) of asset managers say that between a quarter and half of their client base ask about how AI is employed; while two-fifths say between 10% and 24% investigate how they use the technology.
Research participants agree that Investors and institutional allocators are increasingly scrutinizing how fund managers integrate AI, with many more likely to invest in firms that allocate a meaningful budget to AI research and implementation.
More than a third (34%) expect this trend to increase dramatically over the next three years and 57% say it will increase slightly. Just under one in 10 (9%) say it will stay the same.
The research reveals client sentiment is high regarding how AI is deployed by asset managers, with 85% of respondents saying their investors’ perception of their AI use is positive and another 10% say it’s very positive.
Asset managers are also confident in their AI capabilities versus the competition. More than one in 10 (13%) say they are more advanced with AI than other firms, 71% believe they are quite advanced, 15% say they are comparative, and just 2% say they are falling behind.
When asked in which areas the use of AI is most important to their clients, the majority of asset managers say data governance, accuracy and enterprise security are paramount. Automation and human intervention were ranked lower.
Demonstrating just how entrenched AI has become across the asset management industry, 91% of respondents say agentic AI, autonomous AI agents capable of handling multi-step, complex tasks with minimal human intervention, is important to their business and 2% call it critical.
In terms of where AI has proven to have the biggest positive influence on client engagement, asset managers say AI-powered support and Q&A and automated client communication and reporting have been instrumental. Respondents also point to personalization at scale, enhanced transparency and timeliness and sentiment analysis.
Souvik Das, CTO at Clearwater Analytics, said:
“AI is transforming the client–manager relationship from a periodic, product-led interaction into a continuous, data-rich partnership where transparency, customization and demonstrable analytical edge are key to winning and retaining institutional mandates.
“The technology is no longer just about improving performance; it’s redefining what good service looks like. Institutional investors increasingly expect real-time insight, tailored solutions and explainable decision-making, raising the bar for the entire industry.”