Proving Alpha: How a Hedge Fund Measures AI's ROI - Hari Kumar, Contour Asset Management
Hedge fund runs live A/B tests on analyst workflows to measure AI ROI in P&L terms
“would you have come to the same conclusion with or without AI tools?”
Hari Kumar, Head of AI at Contour Asset Management ($6B AUM), describes the firm's approach to proving AI value by running live A/B tests on analyst research workflows across 10 analysts each covering 30-40 companies. The core challenge is attributing investment outcomes to AI assistance versus existing processes. This represents a practical, rigorous framework for AI ROI measurement in high-stakes financial settings that other enterprises will increasingly need.