The new deal team: Perspectives on AI-driven M&A

AI is changing how deals get done. But the future of M&A is not humans versus AI — it is how dealmakers use AI to work faster, make better decisions, and build trust.

About the conversation

AI is no longer an emerging capability in M&A. It is becoming part of how deals are sourced, evaluated, and executed.

The more important question is no longer whether deal teams will use AI. It is how they will use it, where it creates the greatest value, and what must remain human-led.

In this conversation, Datasite executives discuss what the findings from 1,000 dealmakers reveal about the changing shape of deal work. Their perspectives cover the movement from experimentation to repeatable workflows, the growing importance of governance and organizational change, and why a faster future still depends on trust.

What you’ll hear

AI is changing how deals get done

How AI is moving from isolated experimentation into the operating model of modern M&A.

The new deal team is AI-informed, but human-led

Why AI is changing where dealmakers create value, while judgment, relationships, and accountability remain human.

Scaling AI takes governance and people

Why successful adoption requires measurable outcomes, organizational change, and new ways of working.

A faster future depends on trust

Why security, accuracy, transparency, and human validation will determine how far AI can scale.

Featured speakers

Merlin Piscitelli, Chief Marketing Officer, Datasite

Merlin discusses how AI is changing the composition of the modern deal team and why the future of M&A is AI-informed, but human-led.

Raj Bakhru, General Manager, Blueflame AI

Raj explores how AI is moving beyond isolated prompts to become part of the way deal work gets done — and why trust must be designed into every workflow.

Nevin Raj, Co-Founder General Manager, Grata

Nevin explains how AI helps teams identify opportunities earlier while reinforcing the importance of relationships, trust, and human decision-making.

Anjali Motiani, Chief Financial Officer, Datasite

Anjali shares why AI adoption is fundamentally a business transformation initiative requiring governance, measurable outcomes, and organizational change.