The AI Shift in Investing: From Chatbots to Agents (What Changed for Investors)

Written By Red Met Yellow Creative

In this episode, we talk through what’s shifted, from basic chatbots to more agent-based workflows, and why that’s starting to matter for investors, analysts, and buy-side teams.

We get into:

  • The difference between AI chat tools and agent workflows

  • Why AI felt overhyped before and what’s different now

  • Where AI is actually useful in investment research today

  • The limitations that still exist (and there are a lot)

  • How investors should start thinking about using AI in their process

We’re not coming at this as “experts” with all the answers. We’re in it every day, testing, breaking things, and trying to understand where this is going.

The goal of this podcast is simple:
Bring you along as we learn, and give you a clearer view of how AI is actually being used in investing.

If you’re working in equity research, hedge funds, or the buy side and trying to make sense of AI, this is a good place to start. 

Chapters (Timestamps)

00:00 – Intro: Why We Started Investing with AI
00:21 – Khe’s Background (BlackRock → AI Consulting for Hedge Funds)
02:06 – Brett’s Background (Hedge Funds → Fundamental Edge)
03:30 – The Real Shift: From Chatbots to AI Agents
04:17 – When AI Actually Started Working (2025 Inflection Point)
06:11 – “AI-Pill” Moments: What Changed Our View on AI
07:43 – What Are Agent Workflows in Investing?
10:04 – Why AI Tools Failed Before (and What’s Better Now)
11:43 – How Much of an Investor’s Workflow Can AI Handle?
12:20 – Defining “Agentic” AI (Simple Explanation)
14:42 – Data Accuracy, MCP, and Why This Matters for Finance
17:19 – The Biggest Unlock: Using AI for Validation
19:57 – Common Problems Firms Have with AI Adoption
22:02 – Why Most Investment Workflows Are “Vibes”
24:00 – Turning Intuition Into Process (Hardest Part of AI)
26:44 – Expectation vs Reality: What AI Can’t Do Yet
28:39 – How to Start Using AI in Your Investment Process
30:10 – How We Stay Ahead in AI (Learning, Tools, Research)
33:20 – Translating AI Into Real Investing Workflows
35:14 – Why There Is No “Final State” of AI
36:09 – What AI Means for the Future of Investing Careers
37:30 – Outro: What to Expect From This Podcast

Red Met Yellow Creative