As artificial intelligence models become more sophisticated, asset owners and managers are rethinking portfolio construction as an activity sitting at the nexus of human and machine, which means gaining an edge over the market increasingly needs investors to tap into the wisdom from both sources.
The pace of development in artificial intelligence and machine learning is head-spinning. The Fiduciary Investors Symposium heard there are examples from the industrial past that serve as good indicators of how the new technology will be adopted, its likely impact, and both short- and long-term strategies for effective adoption.
The foundations of the modern Canadian pension fund industry were laid decades ago, and organisations today continue to reap the benefits. The Fiduciary Investors Symposium in Toronto heard that the potential of the industry is immense, built on solid principles and an embrace of new technology and processes.
Much can be said about Canada’s so-called Maple 8 funds and their pension models, which have provided stellar learning materials for the rest of the world, but OMERS chief executive Blake Hutcheson questioned whether bundling them all together is appropriate.
A founding principle of the Canadian pension system is under attack. The Fiduciary Investors Symposium in Toronto heard from four individuals who have been instrumental in making the system what it is today, and that the sound principles that made the system great need to be defended.
If managers want to reinforce their long-term investor bona fides they should adopt appropriate time horizons for investments they make, disclose more about asset holding duration, and reconsider paying themselves based on short-term results. Only then will the interests of asset owners and the managers they employ be truly aligned.
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