BOTTOM LINE UPFRONT
In this short episode of AI & PE: The Future of Value Create, Kyle Roemer chats with Adam Silverman about what to expect in 2026: agents will sit inside everyday workflows, automate research and execution, and strip out busy work – giving AI-native firms a structural speed and cost advantage over legacy peers.
In this episode of AI & PE: The Future of Value Creation, Adam Silverman breaks down what he sees coming next based on years of hands-on experience building AI agents inside real finance and PE workflows. Many of the biggest shifts are already underway, and in 2026, they’ll be table stakes.
Here’s what Adam sees coming:
1. AI agents become part of everyday PE work
AI agents have matured to the point where nearly anyone – regardless of role – can start automating meaningful parts of their day. They don’t have to be technical specialists or part of innovation teams to make it happen.
What’s changing:
- Analysts and associates using agents to automate research and routine analysis
- Non-technical users building reliable automations without writing code
- AI copilots embedded directly into daily workflows
In 2026, using agents will simply be how work gets done.
2. Agents move from answering questions to taking action
The real breakthrough is execution. AI is beginning to move beyond producing outputs and toward completing tasks end to end.
We’re already seeing:
- Natural-language instructions replacing complex workflow builders
- Agents triggering next steps instead of stopping at insight
- Less manual coordination across tools and systems
The expectation shifts from “What does the AI say?” to “What did it actually do?”
3. Voice becomes a primary interface for work
As dictation tools improve, typing is starting to feel like a bottleneck rather than a default (in fact, Adam doesn’t type anymore. Not efficient enough.)
What this unlocks:
- Work happening at the speed of thought, not typing speed
- LLMs structuring and refining spoken input in real time
- Typing reserved for polishing, not first drafts
Much like the transition from handwriting to keyboards, voice-first interaction will quietly reshape productivity norms.
4. Excel and PowerPoint survive, but the busy work doesn’t
While spreadsheets and slide decks aren’t disappearing, manual effort around them is.
Expect to see:
- Automated formatting, spell checks, and layout consistency
- Faster model recreation and analysis inside Excel
- Less time spent building outputs, more time interpreting them
In 2026, the value is in thinking critically about your materials rather than assembling them.
5. AI-native teams pull ahead of legacy organizations
The adoption gap is widening fast, and it’s becoming structural. Firms that embrace AI early will operate in a different league than those that resist change.
On the AI-native side:
- Faster execution with fewer people
- Lower costs and higher throughput
On the legacy side:
- Increasing difficulty competing on speed and insight
Ironically, newer firms without entrenched systems may be best positioned to win.
6. Research becomes automated, ownership stays human
Research is one of the clearest examples of AI’s impact already playing out. Agents can now scan hundreds or thousands of sources in minutes, producing structured, cited outputs.
What changes:
- Agents handle sourcing, summarization, and synthesis
- Humans validate accuracy and apply judgment
- The cost of knowledge drops dramatically
The role of the professional shifts from doing the work to owning the outcome.
7. Data warehouses only matter if you can talk to them
Perhaps the most critical prediction for 2026: stored data alone is no longer a competitive advantage. The real unlock is conversational access to massive volumes of historical data.
Leading firms will:
- Query entire data rooms and portfolios with high accuracy
- Pull insights from years of stored information in seconds
- Use AI to turn historical data into real-time decision support
In other words: you’re not competing if your data warehouse isn’t connected to AI.
What this means for private equity
AI today is shaping how firms operate, compete, and allocate talent. The firms that pull ahead will be the ones that focus on practical adoption first and compound from there.
The biggest risk is waiting on the sidelines while competitors go AI-native from day one. Adam’s advice: move fast now.
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