"Everybody's rightly caught up in the lore of AI and what the industry leaders are doing regarding building out platforms, but people forget; unless you have good data management and good data integrity, you can't fully deploy any application of AI," said Neil Kell, Bank of America's chair and global head of technology, media, and telecom for equity-capital markets. "Companies that are looking to be acquisitive are focused on this," he said.
Brandon Hightower, a founder and partner at the tech-focused M&A advisory firm Axom Partners, attributes an increase in AI-themed deals to "an arms race" earlier this year around infrastructure and talent.
Tech companies focusing on managing, moving, and securing data will be at the forefront of the AI M&A wave. Other 'pickaxe and shovel' companies include those focusing on developer tools and resource optimization.
AI dealmaking is also poised to touch non-technology sectors, like customer service, commerce, and industrials.
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