Agentic AI enters M&A: Are dealmakers ready?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping mergers and acquisitions (M&A), from automating repetitive tasks, to enhancing how companies and investors source, structure and close deals, providing a competitive edge in an environment where speed, precision and risk management are paramount.

Now, a more sophisticated form of AI is emerging and gaining traction. Unlike earlier AI tools that simply respond to prompts and require human direction for each task, agentic AI operates with autonomy, making decisions, retaining information, adapting to new contexts, and independently adjusting strategies based on evolving deal dynamics.

For dealmakers, this means an agent can follow a potential acquisition target over time, understand a firm's investment thesis, and proactively identify when conditions align with criteria. They don't just answer questions; they participate in the workflow as digital team members with institutional knowledge.

Still, for an industry built around precision, confidentiality and high-stakes decision making, the introduction of this technology raises questions about accuracy and trustworthiness. Yet, research shows that dealmakers are open to using AI. Survey results show that more than half of 500 global dealmakers believe AI could accelerate deals by up to 50%, while two thirds said new AI tools were their top operational priority for 2025 – with agentic AI systems leading this charge.

Understanding Agentic AI

Agentic AI refers to AI systems, based on machine learning and large language models, that can autonomously plan and take actions to achieve goals in dynamic or unpredictable environments. It goes beyond analyzing information and instead, can act independently by making decisions and completing tasks without human intervention.

At its most complex, agentic AI can direct fully autonomous systems like self-driving cars. On the simpler end, agentic AI can combine and intelligently execute numerous basic functions that are fundamental to M&A workflows, including categorizing content, summarizing content, and organizing information systematically.

As the pressure to improve speed and accuracy intensifies, the case for adoption of AI has become more compelling. Companies are developing sophisticated tools that can provide earnings summaries and numerous other M&A research, reporting and quantitative analysis. Datasite, which has been using AI since 2019, has developed tools like AI redaction and AI document translation to protect sensitive information and accelerate reviews and accuracy of the due diligence processes. The company has also significantly accelerated its investment and capabilities in AI through its acquisitions of Grata, Blueflame AI and Sourcescrub, part of a strategic shift toward deeper integration of AI and private market intelligence.

Still, M&A professionals are concerned about privacy and compliance. Thirty six percent said data security and privacy are key obstacles to AI adoption, and 73% said government oversight of generative AI is necessary.

Yet current concerns about Agentic AI echo remarkably familiar concerns about virtual data rooms when they first emerged. Looking back, the idea of storing confidential deal documents in a digital environment initially seemed risky and unnecessary to many dealmakers. Physical data rooms felt safer, more controllable and more familiar. Yet, VDRs today are the industry standard and it’s hard to imagine conducting M&A without them. That’s why agentic AI will likely force widespread adoption sooner rather than later.

From due diligence processes that involve reviewing thousands of documents, to post-deal integration challenges that require coordinating multiple systems and teams, the industry is ripe for this kind of technological transformation.

The question isn't whether Agentic AI will transform M&A, it's how quickly and effectively participants adapt to the transformation. Those who embrace the technology thoughtfully, with appropriate safeguards and realistic expectations, will be best positioned to succeed in future dealmaking.