From AI pilots to private equity portfolio performance
PE firms are embedding AI into portfolio operations, value creation plans, and growth strategies to drive measurable business outcomes.
In an interview published by Private Equity International's 2026 Technology & AI Issue, KPMG leaders James Gardner, Paul Pan, and Andrew Vogel discuss how private equity firms are shifting from AI pilots and proof-of-concepts toward enterprise-scale implementation and operational impact. They explore how agentic AI, data modernization, workforce enablement, and portfolio-wide governance are becoming critical components of value creation strategies across private equity portfolios.
Other key takeaways:
- From experimentation to execution: Private equity firms are moving beyond AI pilots and focusing on operational deployment, agentic workflows, and measurable financial outcomes tied to value creation plans.
- AI can drive meaningful EBITDA improvement: AI-enabled efficiencies can improve EBITDA by helping organizations reimagine high-frequency, programmatic processes across functions such as finance, HR, IT, sales, and customer support.
- Data remains the critical enabler: Clean, structured, and governed data has become a prerequisite for scaling AI successfully. Many organizations continue to face challenges stemming from fragmented or unstructured data environments.
- Portfolio-wide collaboration accelerates adoption: Firms are creating AI playbooks, benchmarking frameworks, executive forums, and cross-portfolio networks to share insights, establish standards, and advance AI maturity across portfolio companies.
- People and change management matter as much as technology: Role-based upskilling, practical training, and proactive change management are helping organizations address workforce concerns while enabling employees to work more effectively alongside AI technologies.
Dive into our thinking:
Read the interview with PEI Magazine
Download PDFThe technology has now crossed the frontier where hybrid and AI-augmented capabilities can drive meaningful gains across both productivity and EBITDA.
— Paul Pan
Partner, Deal Advisory & Strategy, KPMG
We have gone from vanity pilots to true EBITDA discipline.
— James Gardner
Principal, Technology Leader for Capital Markets, Asset Management and Private Equity, KPMG
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