Learn how AI streamlined research processes, proven effective in the recent CR AMC training session

Smart AI Insights

Introduction: The Power of AI in Mutual Fund Research

In today’s fast-paced financial world, staying ahead in mutual fund research means leveraging cutting-edge tools to deliver insights quickly and accurately. Did you know AI can cut mutual fund research time by 80%? During my recent session with Canara Robeco AMC (CR AMC) on April 22, 2025, in Chennai, I showcased how AI transforms research, making it accessible and actionable for both seasoned professionals and novices. With over 40 years of experience in the securities market and having helped 300+ families with personal finance, I’ve seen how technology can bridge gaps in understanding. This blog—part of a three-part series on AI in AMC workflows—dives into the research aspect, drawing from our CR AMC presentation. Whether you’re a knowledge worker or new to mutual funds, let’s explore how AI simplifies research, saves time, and delivers results.

The Evolution of Research: From Manual to AI-Driven

Mutual fund research used to mean hours of sifting through fact sheets, annual reports, and market data. While effective, it was slow and often overwhelming for beginners. AI changes that. In my 5-part series on using AI for presentations, I shared how tools like chatbots can streamline workflows. For the CR AMC session, we took this further by combining traditional data sources with AI’s real-time analysis capabilities. The result? A research process that’s faster, more precise, and accessible to everyone.

We explored three scenarios during the session:

Ordinary Search: The Limitations of Basic Chatbots
Using basic chatbots for mutual fund analysis, such as comparing Tata Digital India Fund and UTI Innovation Fund, often resulted in errors and incomplete insights due to their reliance on outdated or fragmented data. These tools struggled to handle complex parameters like sector exposure, expense ratios, or historical performance trends, leaving investors with a shallow understanding—hardly the foundation for informed decisions. To illustrate, you can view an AI-generated comparison table alongside actual data from Value Research available here—I recommend reviewing both side by side to spot discrepancies. For a deeper dive into basic comparisons, check out Chapter 10 of my SIP Success book, available as a soft copy here, which breaks down a simple analysis of Quantum Tax Saving Fund and UTI Tax Saving Fund, offering a practical starting point for novices to grasp scheme evaluation quickly.
Fact Book Analysis: A Step Forward with Limitations
Relying solely on PDF fact books from Canara Robeco (CR) and Quantum Small Cap provided accurate data but fell short in capturing real-time trends, limiting deeper insights. To achieve more precise results, I uploaded the latest March 2025 fact books for both CR and Quantum into AI tools—most modern chatbots now accept PDF files for analysis. Using AI, we compared their small cap funds, focusing on parameters like sector allocation, expense ratios, and risk-adjusted returns, which aren’t typically available in standard reports from platforms like Moneycontrol or Value Research. This AI-driven approach delivered higher data accuracy and an easy-to-understand comparison table, eliminating the need for manual analysis. Leveraging Grok’s Think Mode, we generated a detailed comparison, uncovering key insights and actionable takeaways. The full Grok output report is available for your review here.
Hybrid AI Approach: The Best of Both Worlds
Our hybrid AI approach combined CR’s fact book data with deep search capabilities for SBI and Mirae funds, delivering comprehensive insights in minutes. Most modern search bots now offer deep augmented search—simply enable the feature (often a toggle button) to reduce hallucination and access the latest data dynamically. For CR, we used the fact book, while SBI and Mirae were analyzed via deep search, ensuring a robust comparison that outshines both the ordinary search and fact book methods. This approach provided the most accurate, up-to-date insights, covering large and mid-cap funds with non-public metrics like fund manager tenure and cash allocation. See the detailed comparison table of CR, SBI, and Mirae funds here.

The hybrid approach stood out, earning praise from CR AMC’s senior team for its precision and speed. Let’s break down how we used AI to tackle a real-world challenge.

Case Study: Analyzing Trump Tariff Impacts with AI

One of the standout examples from our CR AMC presentation was analyzing the impact of Trump’s tariffs on mutual fund folios—a critical concern for AMCs in 2025. Tariffs can disrupt sectors like metals, autos, and IT, affecting large and mid-cap funds differently. Here’s how we used AI to simplify this complex research task:

Step 1: Data Gathering: We started with CR’s fact book for accurate portfolio data, ensuring a reliable foundation. For SBI and Mirae funds, we used AI’s deep search to pull real-time sector exposure and performance metrics.
Step 2: AI Analysis: Feeding this data into an AI tool, we asked for a sector-by-sector breakdown of tariff impacts. The tool analyzed cash allocation, concentration, and fund manager tenure, assigning resilience scores (e.g., CR: High, SBI: Medium) in under 10 minutes—a task that might have taken hours manually.
Step 3: Actionable Insights: AI highlighted that CR’s mid-cap funds were more resilient due to lower exposure to tariff-hit sectors like autos (only 8% of the portfolio). SBI, with 15% in autos, needed rebalancing. This insight helped CR AMC tailor client portfolios with confidence.

For novices, this means AI can take raw numbers and turn them into clear advice without jargon. For knowledge workers, it’s a time-saver that lets you focus on strategy rather than data crunching.

Quick take away of the detailed report in chart form

You can read Grok’s deep dive analysis reports on Trump Tariff effects on large and mid caps fund here

Why AI Research Matters for AMCs

The feedback from CR AMC attendees underscored AI’s value. With an average session satisfaction rating of 4.6/5 and a relevance score of 4.8/5, participants called it “eye-opening” and “very useful for sales pitches.” Senior managers appreciated how AI revealed insights like tariff resilience, enabling better client conversations. For mutual fund distributors, this translates to faster, data-backed decisions—whether you’re a pro analyzing AUM segmentation or a beginner learning market trends.

Get Started with AI Research

Ready to try AI for mutual fund research? Start with free tools like Grok (created by xAI) to analyze fact sheets or market news. For deeper insights, combine traditional data with AI’s deep search, as we did for CR AMC. You can explore the full presentation pdf here: [ AI Gamma pdf Link]. Want to learn more about SIP strategies? Check out my book on Amazon or DM me for a personalized AI session.

Stay tuned for the next posts in this series, covering social networking and productivity!