According to Man Group CEO, Robyn Grew, not a client discussion has gone by this year without the subject of AI coming up. The hot topic was discussed at a media roundtable at Man’s London HQ this week with the firm’s top technologists discussing the power, but also limitations, of artificial intelligence in their business. 

CTO Gary Collier has rolled out ManGPT, Man Group’s generative AI product based on the ChatGPT technology, which allows users to interact with AI by writing questions, rather than lines of complex computer code.

This has “democratised” the use of AI, meaning everyone can use it, not just those with coding skills.

Man Group has been doing sentiment analysis for years, but can now do it incredibly quickly, said Collier. It has been “additive across every part of the organisation”.

Anthony Ledford, chief scientist and academic liaison at Man AHL, regards the advent of natural interface AI systems like ChatGPT as another milestone in the development of the technology, much like the breakthrough in deep learning in 2012 – but not a revolution in itself.

Both were cautious about the alpha gains made possible through AI, saying they were important but that the practical power of AI for Man Group lay in speeding up processes and allowing all staff to explore its potential.