SuperReturn 2026: AI transformation: overhyped vs underestimated from copilots to cash flow – creating value through AI, data, tech & innovation

At the Motive Partners and S&P Global SuperReturn invitational in Berlin, moderator Umesh Subramanian was joined byNick Leopard of Accordion, Chris Nobles of BetaNXT, Chris Ford of ElectricMind, and Ramin Niroumand of Motive Partners, operators and builders from across the Motive ecosystem and its partners.

AI dominates the narrative in financial services, but the panel was less interested in the hype than in where value actually accrues. The real question is not whether to adopt AI, but whether firms are absorbing it deeply enough to change how they operate, because adding a feature is not the same as rebuilding an operating model.

The friction is rarely the technology.Surveys show almost every private equity manager has mandated AI adoption across their portfolio, yet most management teams have done little about it, and the majority do not know where to start. The constraint is the absence of a data foundation and an operational playbook, not a shortage of tools, and value follows from change management and workflow design far more than from the technology itself.

The work underway reflects that reality. The strongest use cases are moving past efficiency toward outcomes: unstructured data turned into customer insight and revenue, forecasting confidence lifted into the nineties, and a monthly close that is compressing toward something closer to daily. The durable advantage is shifting from product features toward proprietary data, domain expertise and trust, the things a competitor cannot quickly replicate.

"Nobody is talking about efficiency gains; they're talking about securing more revenue because they could anticipate customer churn," Leopard observed. "That starts to change real outcomes."

Nick Leopard, CEO & Founder, Accordion

None of this resolves evenly. Token economics are not yet sustainable everywhere, outcome-based pricing is hard to get right, and the firms best positioned are those large enough to move decisively but not so large that change becomes like turning a cruise ship.

"This is the race," said Niroumand, "and the clear winner is the one who runs the fastest."

Ramin Niroumand, Partner, Investments & Head of Venture, Motive Partners

The firms that absorb AI fastest, rather than adopt it loosely, will shape what follows.