New Deloitte Survey: 86% of Corporate and Private Equity Leaders Now Use Generative AI, with Plans to Boost Spending in 2025

NEW YORK, Oct. 9, 2025 — Today, Deloitte released the findings of its inaugural “2025 GenAI in M&A Survey,” asking 1,000 corporate and private equity (PE) leaders across major industries in the U.S. about their expectations for Generative AI (GenAI) use in dealmaking as well as what trends are emerging within investment and deployment of the technology.

“The 2025 Survey confirms that dealmakers are confident in GenAI’s potential to recast the look and feel of dealmaking, and are investing accordingly to realize its transformational benefits,” said Erik Dilger, managing director, Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP. “While it’s still early innings for the technology and M&A application is currently concentrated on pre-sign activities, organizations are looking ahead to its potential to help inform decision making, uncover new sources of value, and drive post deal synergies.”

Key findings:

• Greater awareness of GenAI’s potential to transform dealmaking: Survey results show a recent, rapid integration of GenAI into the M&A process with 86% of responding organizations having integrated GenAI into their M&A workflows, and 65% of them did so within the past year.
• Investment in GenAI will increase: Among respondents, 83% have invested $1 million or more in the technology, specifically for their M&A teams (88% of private equity, 77% of corporate). And, they’re not finished: Many anticipate increasing their GenAI investments over the coming 12 months either slightly (54% of private equity, 58% of corporate), or significantly (24% of private equity, 28% of corporate).
• Drive for ROI shaping investment decisions: A majority of organizations are expecting measurable returns on their GenAI investments (ROI), and most anticipate achieving them within the next one to three years. Among the private equity firms surveyed, 81% have this expectation, as do 80% of corporate entities. This widespread optimism is fueling a strategic shift, with organizations prioritizing GenAI initiatives that promise direct, quantifiable impact.
• GenAI is expected to reshape every phase of the deal cycle, but most traction is in pre-sign stages: 40% of adopters are applying it to M&A strategy and market assessment followed by target identification and screening (35%) and due diligence (35%).
• Users remain cautious: Despite rapid, recent adoption of GenAI, barriers do exist, with 67% of respondents highlighting data security as a leading concern, followed by data quality and availability (65%).

Read Deloitte’s “2025 GenAI in M&A Survey” here.

About the survey
Deloitte’s inaugural GenAI in M&A survey was conducted online by an independent research firm in the first half of 2025. The survey asked 1,000 senior corporate and PE leaders across major industries in the U.S. about their expectations for GenAI use in dealmaking.