In the last few years, the world has experienced one of the most significant technological shifts in decades. Generative AI has moved from experimental curiosity to board-level priority in every sector with remarkable speed.  

For asset managers, AI has reframed how firms think about research, distribution, client service, and operational efficiency. Yet even as the technology accelerates, the path to meaningful adoption has remained uneven.

This acceleration is colliding with broader forces already reshaping the asset-management landscape: fee pressure, channel consolidation, rising expectations from advisors and intermediaries, and a distribution environment that demands more scale, more precision, and more accountability. Across the industry, firms feel the squeeze. But for emerging managers with less than $100 billion in AUM, these pressures are amplified.

Our recent surveys and interviews with C-suite leaders in this segment—including one conducted with the Money Management Institute’s Thrive program—underscore this reality. 

Three out of four leaders said their sales teams are stretched too thin. 68 percent said marketing remains underpowered relative to growth ambitions. 62 percent voiced frustration with disconnected CRM and MarTech stacks that generate data but not direction.

It’s no surprise, then, that nearly two-thirds cited AI-driven analytics, automation, and personalization as the technologies they are watching most closely. In their words, this next wave of efficiency “won’t come from new products—it’ll come from AI that helps us execute smarter.” And when asked where AI could make the biggest difference, executives pointed to core growth engines: sharper advisor segmentation, more personalized marketing, better pipeline visibility, and faster compliance review.

But knowing AI matters and knowing how to apply it are two very different things. As one distribution leader put it, “We know AI can help us become more strategic—we just need help using it to make the GTM run sharper and faster.”

That is the purpose of The AI Playbook. Jacobs & Company created this series to help emerging asset managers understand what AI can do today—practically, responsibly, and measurably—and how to deploy it in sales and marketing execution where it matters most.