Asset managers have almost universally implemented artificial intelligence (AI) to some degree, but the benefits vary, according to the Clearwater Analytics Global GenAI Report (Report) released in the summer of 2026. Conducted in March 2026 by independent research agency PureProfile, the Report is based on interviews of 178 senior executives from insurance asset managers, hedge funds, private credit managers and other asset managers based in Europe, the U.S. and Asia. “The firms generating the strongest operational outcomes are not necessarily the ones spending the most on AI, but the ones building on data they can trust,” notes the Report. “AI and the platforms that use it are only as good as the data they run on.” Firms with the biggest AI budgets and/or that had been using AI the longest did not necessarily see the greatest rewards from it. According to the Report, AI “rewards the ones that got the foundation right and underdelivers for the ones still building on data they can’t fully rely on.” This article parses the Report. See “ACA Study Finds Widespread, but Limited, Implementation of AI” (Jul. 16, 2026).