Listen "Demystifying AI in M&A"
Episode Synopsis
In this season two premiere of The Dealist, host Catherine Ford is joined by Jeff Haxer, a partner at Bain & Company, and Ken Bisconti, co-head of SS&C Intralinks, to cut through the misconceptions surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) in mergers and acquisitions (M&A).
The discussion also explores how AI is accelerating due diligence, reshaping virtual data room (VDR) analysis and redefining the balance between human judgment and machine support. “We're starting to see that there's a correlation between frequent M&A transactions and early adoption of AI and shareholder return,” says Haxer, “and we expect that gap to widen over time.”
This episode offers dealmakers practical insights on staying competitive in an era where technology is no longer optional.
Key takeaways:
• AI isn’t just for mega-deals
• AI doesn't understand meaning like humans do — yet
• Early AI adopters see 2-3x better shareholder returns
• The gap between AI adopters and laggards is widening rapidly
*Subscribe to The Dealist **
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dealist/id1805660414
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5zinlPsfd2xDuY10zdIBqJ
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/intralinks
Further reading
The Dynamics of Due Diligence, a report produced with Mergermarket and The M&A Research Centre (MARC) explores the reasons behind the ever-expanding due diligence period in the past decade and reveals why those deals that have a “medium” duration in terms of timing are the most likely to succeed. Download here: https://www3.intralinks.com/the-dynamics-of-due-diligence-report?&utmcampaign=701pq00000ca6xu&utm_content=podcast-blog)
Discover how Intralinks DealCentre AI™ revolutionizes deal management with cutting-edge AI technology and smart solutions here: https://www.intralinks.com/products/dealcentre-ai?utm_source=podcast-platform&utm_medium=partner-referrals
The discussion also explores how AI is accelerating due diligence, reshaping virtual data room (VDR) analysis and redefining the balance between human judgment and machine support. “We're starting to see that there's a correlation between frequent M&A transactions and early adoption of AI and shareholder return,” says Haxer, “and we expect that gap to widen over time.”
This episode offers dealmakers practical insights on staying competitive in an era where technology is no longer optional.
Key takeaways:
• AI isn’t just for mega-deals
• AI doesn't understand meaning like humans do — yet
• Early AI adopters see 2-3x better shareholder returns
• The gap between AI adopters and laggards is widening rapidly
*Subscribe to The Dealist **
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dealist/id1805660414
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5zinlPsfd2xDuY10zdIBqJ
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/intralinks
Further reading
The Dynamics of Due Diligence, a report produced with Mergermarket and The M&A Research Centre (MARC) explores the reasons behind the ever-expanding due diligence period in the past decade and reveals why those deals that have a “medium” duration in terms of timing are the most likely to succeed. Download here: https://www3.intralinks.com/the-dynamics-of-due-diligence-report?&utmcampaign=701pq00000ca6xu&utm_content=podcast-blog)
Discover how Intralinks DealCentre AI™ revolutionizes deal management with cutting-edge AI technology and smart solutions here: https://www.intralinks.com/products/dealcentre-ai?utm_source=podcast-platform&utm_medium=partner-referrals
More episodes of the podcast The Dealist
What Lawyers Really Do During Due Diligence
17/06/2025
AI Literacy For M&A Dealmakers
07/11/2025
Corp Dev In the Age of AI
30/10/2025
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