
I’ve had the privilege of seeing the industry evolve—sometimes gradually, sometimes through seismic shifts. One of my focal points has always been mergers and acquisitions, The deals I’ve been a part of weren’t just transactions; they were stories of ambition, strategy, and people coming together to build something greater than the sum of its parts. Today, the emergence of AI in M&A feels like one of those seismic shifts. It promises to redefine how deals are done. But from my vantage point, as someone who’s spent years relying on instinct and interpersonal nuance, I can’t help but approach this transformation with a mixture of excitement and caution.
How AI is Changing the Game
Let’s start with the obvious: AI is making M&A faster and more efficient in ways I never thought possible. When I was in the trenches, due diligence meant long nights poring over contracts, financials, and market data. It was meticulous, exhausting work. Today, AI tools can sift through mountains of data in hours, not weeks. They pinpoint risks, flag inconsistencies, and highlight opportunities with a precision no human team could match.
Take one of my last deals, for example. We were looking at a mid-sized tech company, and AI flagged a recurring issue in their vendor contracts—a small clause that could have posed significant financial risk if not addressed. A junior analyst might have overlooked it. The AI didn’t.
And it’s not just due diligence. Target identification has become another area where AI shines. Back in my day, finding the right company to acquire was part data analysis, part gut feeling. You’d read the markets, network like crazy, and follow your instincts. Now, AI tools scan entire industries, analyzing market trends, growth rates, and strategic fit with breathtaking speed. It’s like having a tireless scout who never sleeps.
Even valuation—once a painstaking exercise in modeling and projections—has been turbocharged. Machine learning algorithms can simulate countless scenarios and predict outcomes with uncanny accuracy. They strip away much of the guesswork, giving you a clearer picture of what you’re walking into.
What We’re Gaining—and Losing
This is all remarkable. But for someone like me, who’s spent a career negotiating deals across boardroom tables, there’s an elephant in the room: what happens to the human side of M&A?
Because make no mistake, M&A isn’t just about numbers. It’s about people—leaders, employees, stakeholders—all with their own motivations, fears, and quirks. AI doesn’t see the look in a CEO’s eyes when they talk about their company’s legacy. It can’t sense the tension in a negotiation when someone’s bluffing or holding back. And it certainly doesn’t have the intuition to know when to push harder or when to pull back.
I remember one deal in particular, early in my career. On paper, everything looked perfect. The numbers worked, the market was ripe, and the synergies were clear. But something felt off in my gut. Over several conversations, I noticed the CEO of the target company was unusually hesitant about post-deal integration. He wasn’t voicing concerns directly, but his tone, his pauses, and the way he avoided certain topics told me everything I needed to know. Sure enough, after digging deeper, we discovered major cultural clashes that would have derailed the integration. AI might have missed that. I didn’t.
The Risks of Over-Reliance
The problem with AI is that it’s only as good as the data it’s trained on. It doesn’t see the gaps, the subtext, or the human factors that aren’t in the spreadsheets. Over-relying on AI could lead dealmakers to ignore their instincts—the very instincts that have saved countless deals or uncovered hidden value.
There’s also the risk of oversimplifying something as complex as cultural integration. I’ve seen many deals falter not because the numbers didn’t add up, but because the people didn’t. AI might tell you that two companies are a perfect fit based on workforce demographics or communication patterns, but it won’t understand the unspoken dynamics of how people actually work together. And when those dynamics break down, no algorithm can fix it.
Striking a Balance
That’s not to say AI doesn’t belong in M&A. Far from it. In fact, I believe it’s an incredible tool—one that I wish I’d had earlier in my career. But like any tool, it’s only as effective as the person using it. The best dealmakers will be those who know how to blend AI’s precision with the intuition and empathy that come from years of experience.
AI should handle the grunt work—analyzing data, running models, and flagging risks—so humans can focus on what we do best: building relationships, reading between the lines, and making decisions that no machine could. It’s not about replacing human instinct but augmenting it, allowing us to work smarter without losing the human touch that makes deals succeed.
The Road Ahead
As I watch AI continue to shape M&A, I’m hopeful but also wary. There’s no question that it’s here to stay, and it will only get better at what it does. But we can’t afford to lose sight of the human element. The best deals are built not just on data but on trust, intuition, and a shared vision for the future. Those are things no algorithm can replicate.
M&A has always been about balancing art and science. AI is tipping the scales heavily toward science, and that’s not inherently a bad thing. But as someone who’s spent a career navigating the art, I’ll say this: don’t let the numbers fool you. At the end of the day, it’s still people who make or break a deal.

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