Private Equity
AI Benchmarks
AI Pathfinder tracks AI adoption across private equity through regular benchmark surveys and pulse checks across our network of 130+ PE firms and 300+ executives.
Each survey captures where the industry stands on maturity, data readiness, governance, barriers, and emerging themes like agentic AI. The aim is simple: give PE practitioners honest, peer-sourced data to gauge their own progress and inform their next moves.
Surveys
Benchmark Survey
March 2026
Our second benchmark, designed as a shorter pulse to track movement since September 2025. New questions on readiness sentiment, agentic AI expectations, and practitioner tool adoption.
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Firms at the integrating stage rose from 20% to 31% - the biggest shift since the first benchmark
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Only 27% agree their data foundations are good enough for scaled AI adoption
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48% say agentic AI is currently more hype than real, yet 75% expect portfolios to scale AI within 12 months
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Barriers to agentic AI are distributed: governance (22%), integration (19%), talent (19%), and data (17%) clustered tightly together
Benchmark Survey
September 2025
The first AI Pathfinder benchmark, covering ten core areas: AI maturity, governance, data readiness, current applications, barriers, outcomes, capabilities, portfolio support, 12-month priorities, and peer perception.
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Early-stage adoption dominates: two-thirds of firms are still exploring or piloting AI; only 13% have scaled or reached strategic integration.
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Governance is ahead of maturity: two-thirds of firms report formal AI governance, often led by senior leadership or a dedicated AI team.
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Data readiness is the primary brake: more than 80% rate their data as only adequate or worse.
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Current value remains tactical: efficiency and faster decision-making dominate, while EBITDA uplift and portfolio-wide value are rare.
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The next 12 months: firms are prioritising due diligence, sourcing, and operational efficiency; value creation is secondary.