As opposing macroeconomic and geopolitical forces collide, chief investment officers at leading pension funds say that trying to predict the future is a “loser’s game”. The question today is no longer what comes next, but how to build a portfolio that holds together in any investment regime.
The A$98 billion ($64 billion) Australian super fund HESTA is laying the groundwork for a more systematic framework for using AI across its total portfolio, solidifying use cases in research, forecasting, risk management and private assets that all centres on the objective of “seeing risks earlier and clearer”.
Making more accurate predictions is the key to investing successfully. AI is a tool well suited to this task, and while it’s already proving its worth in practice and even as major pension fund investors continue to roll it out, they recommend caution and setting out clear use cases.
Success in AI integration may vary for different investors, as some asset owners are reaping alpha benefits while others look for administrative excellence. The Fiduciary Investors Symposium heard how three major institutional asset owners define and measure AI success.
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FIS 2026 at Harvard University