Hedge fund heavyweight Viking Global Investors has ramped up its use of artificial intelligence across its $53bn platform, with its in-house chatbot “VikingGPT 2.0” now fielding up to three trader and analyst queries per minute, according to a report by Blooberg.

The report cites an investor letter seen by Bloomberg as revealing that the proprietary generative AI tool is being deployed to streamline research, test trade ideas, and support deal sourcing, with usage up more than 400% year-on-year. In one case, Deputy CIO Previn Mankodi used the system as a “sceptical avatar” to challenge an investment thesis.

However, co-founder Andreas Halvorsen stressed that AI is not making investment calls, emphasising that human decision-making remains central to Viking’s process.

The firm’s AI framework includes internal working groups and controlled experimentation “with clear guardrails,” Halvorsen said. Teams are using both internal and external AI tools for everything from data analysis and compliance to coding and portfolio monitoring.

Despite its focus on AI-driven productivity, Viking has remained cautious on investing directly in the sector, warning of “sky-high valuations” and uncertain payoffs. That stance has come at a cost – the firm’s main hedge fund gained just 0.7% in Q3, up 5.6% year-to-date, trailing peers that capitalised on the AI-fuelled tech rally.