TLDR: A new Deloitte survey indicates that 86% of corporate and private equity leaders are currently leveraging generative AI in their dealmaking processes, with a significant majority planning to boost their spending on the technology in 2025. The ‘2025 GenAI in M&A Survey’ highlights a rapid integration of AI into M&A workflows, driven by expectations of tangible returns and enhanced operational efficiencies, despite concerns around data security and model reliability.
New findings from Deloitte’s inaugural ‘2025 GenAI in M&A Survey’ reveal a transformative shift in the landscape of corporate dealmaking, with an overwhelming 86% of corporate and private equity (PE) leaders now incorporating generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) into their mergers and acquisitions (M&A) workflows. The survey, which polled 1,000 senior corporate and PE leaders across major U.S. industries, underscores a strong commitment to increasing investment in this burgeoning technology throughout 2025.
The rapid adoption of GenAI is particularly striking, with 65% of organizations having integrated the technology into their M&A processes within just the past year. This swift embrace is backed by substantial financial commitments; 83% of respondents reported investing $1 million or more specifically for their M&A teams, a figure that rises to 88% for private equity firms and stands at 77% for corporate entities.
Looking ahead, the trend of increased spending is set to continue. A significant portion of leaders anticipate further boosting their GenAI investments over the next 12 months, with 54% of private equity and 58% of corporate respondents expecting a slight increase, and 24% of private equity and 28% of corporate leaders planning a significant surge in spending.
Erik Dilger, managing director, Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP, commented on the findings, stating, “The 2025 Survey confirms that dealmakers are confident in GenAI’s potential to recast the look and feel of dealmaking, and are investing accordingly to realize its transformational benefits.” He added that while the technology is still in its early stages for M&A applications, primarily concentrated on pre-sign activities, organizations are keenly focused on its potential to inform decision-making, uncover new sources of value, and drive post-deal synergies.
GenAI’s utility in dealmaking extends to various operational areas, including scouring vast document troves, processing market signals, and drafting early-stage materials, thereby accelerating the front end of deals without replacing human judgment. The survey also highlighted that 83% of leaders believe GenAI will have a moderate or significant influence on M&A decision-making.
Despite the enthusiasm, organizations are proceeding with caution, identifying key concerns such as data security (67%), data quality (65%), model reliability (64%), and ethics and bias (62%). To mitigate these risks, 57% of organizations are investing in upskilling their deal teams. Best practices emerging include the use of private model instantiations, retrieval-augmented generation to ground outputs in accepted sources, strict access control for sensitive data, and human-in-the-loop reviews.
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While proving a measurable return on investment (ROI) remains a challenge for some, the most credible wins are operational, including faster time to first offer, increased diligence coverage, fewer red flags slipping through the cracks, and more predictable integration planning. A majority of organizations expect to achieve measurable ROI within the next one to three years, with 81% of private equity firms holding this expectation.
