As AI rapidly advances in finance, we're seeing more studies pitting algorithms against human expertise. The latest example? The CFA Institute ran six AI models head-to-head with human equity analysts, who wrote SWOT analyses on three companies. The winner? AI took the crown for its specificity and ability to spot blind spots.

However, the study's author was quick to note that "analysts still hold the edge in interpreting nuance, understanding context, and reading between the lines." In other words, AI can crunch data and generate solid analyses, but it can't read a CEO's nervous laugh on an earnings call or sense when management is dodging questions.

How we feel about this.

This isn't a zero-sum game. The narrative that AI will replace analysts misses the point entirely. Smart analysts aren't competing with AI; they're using it as a research accelerator. While AI handles the heavy lifting in data synthesis, analysts focus on what humans excel at: pattern recognition, critical thinking, and connecting dots that don't appear in datasets.

What you should do.

If you're an analyst or research manager, start experimenting with AI tools now. Use them for first-draft research, data gathering, and initial analysis. Then apply your human judgment to what the AI surfaces.

Why?

The edge isn't knowing more facts, it's knowing which facts actually matter. The analysts who thrive will be those who leverage AI to go deeper, not those who fear it.

🧩 Related: CFA Institute: Outperformed by AI: Time to Replace Your Analyst?

~Ryan Erickson, Founding Executive

BASIS FEATURE OF THE WEEK

Meet Basis Deep Research: Your AI Analyst That Never Sleeps

The future of investment research isn't about replacing analysts—it's about amplifying their intelligence.

What if your analyst could skip the tedious work and focus purely on creating insights?

Yesterday, we gave our community an exclusive first look at Deep Research, one of the AI agent workflows built into Basis, our next-generation intelligence platform for investment teams.

Watch the full demo here →

Here's what happened in the demo:

The Setup: Michael, our research analyst, shares a breaking article about CarPlay Ultra's market impact in Teams.

The Magic: Basis tracks your firm's internal discussions and immediately recognizes this could impact your portfolio companies. Instead of letting that insight get buried in chat threads, Basis flags potential stock implications and asks: "Should I dig deeper?"

The Payoff: With one-click approval, Deep Research conducts comprehensive analysis in minutes—work that would typically take your analyst hours or days.

The result? A full research brief posted directly in the discussion, complete with detailed analysis, citations, and ready-to-export notes for sharing with the team.

Why This Elevates Your Analyst

Deep Research eliminates the time-consuming legwork that keeps your analyst from doing what they do best: generating investment insights and recommendations.

Instead of your analyst spending time on:

• Reading through hundreds of news articles daily

• Manually gathering data from multiple sources

• Creating research frameworks from scratch

• Tracking and synthesizing information across companies and sectors

Your analyst focuses on:

• Developing investment theses and stock recommendations

• Building relationships with management teams

• Creating financial models and valuations

• Providing strategic insights for portfolio performance

The Value is Clear

Deep Research transforms how your analyst works by handling the information-heavy research tasks, allowing them to focus entirely on the high-value analytical work that drives investment recommendations and portfolio performance.

Ready to See Deep Research in Action?

We're offering exclusive demos to investment teams who want to see how AI can transform their research workflows without disrupting how they already work.

Schedule Your Demo →

In 30 minutes, we'll show you how Deep Research can give your team a competitive edge in today's information-heavy markets.

P.S. Deep Research is just one of many AI agents available in Basis. From automated research note creation to cross-firm knowledge discovery, we're building the intelligence platform that helps investment teams move faster and smarter.

About Shift
Shift builds AI-powered research tools that help investment teams surface insights and drive better decisions. We're a team of builders and finance experts based in Charlottesville, VA. Learn more at shifthq.ai.