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This week Nick talks to Alistair Smallwood
Alistair Smallwood is the Head of Applied AI at Primer AI, where he focuses on building practical artificial intelligence tools for investment workflows. He began his career as a research analyst at Whitman Howard shortly after the Brexit vote, before moving into equity sales roles and later joining UBS as a pan-European small- and mid-cap specialist salesperson. He subsequently transitioned to the buy side with Lynott Partners, a technology-focused hedge fund, where he combined his financial expertise with self-taught coding skills to explore data-driven investing.
The discussion centres on how Primer AI is transforming equity research through AI-driven agents that replicate and augment the workflow of human analysts. While AI can commoditize access to information, the true edge in investing lies in workflow, judgment, and behavioural insight—areas where human expertise remains critical. Primer AI is designed not just to retrieve accurate financial data, but to guide analysts through modular research processes, from understanding company fundamentals to building and interpreting financial models. The platform emphasizes auditability, context retention, and continuous learning, enabling users to encode their own analytical frameworks and improve efficiency over time. The conversation also explores broader implications for financial markets, suggesting that AI may compress short-term alpha opportunities while increasing the importance of long-term thinking and differentiated judgment.
Alistair Book Choice's
Endurance by Alfred Lansing
Alistair Smallwood is the Head of Applied AI at Primer AI, where he focuses on building practical artificial intelligence tools for investment workflows. He began his career as a research analyst at Whitman Howard shortly after the Brexit vote, before moving into equity sales roles and later joining UBS as a pan-European small- and mid-cap specialist salesperson. He subsequently transitioned to the buy side with Lynott Partners, a technology-focused hedge fund, where he combined his financial expertise with self-taught coding skills to explore data-driven investing.
The discussion centres on how Primer AI is transforming equity research through AI-driven agents that replicate and augment the workflow of human analysts. While AI can commoditize access to information, the true edge in investing lies in workflow, judgment, and behavioural insight—areas where human expertise remains critical. Primer AI is designed not just to retrieve accurate financial data, but to guide analysts through modular research processes, from understanding company fundamentals to building and interpreting financial models. The platform emphasizes auditability, context retention, and continuous learning, enabling users to encode their own analytical frameworks and improve efficiency over time. The conversation also explores broader implications for financial markets, suggesting that AI may compress short-term alpha opportunities while increasing the importance of long-term thinking and differentiated judgment.
Alistair Book Choice's
Endurance by Alfred Lansing
No Spin: My Autobiography by Shane Warne
Alistair Music Choice's
Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd
Money for Nothing by Dire Straits from Brothers in Arms
The Thinking Game - Documentary about DeepMind and Demis Hassabis
This content is issued by Zeus Capital Limited (“Zeus”) (Incorporated in England & Wales No. 4417845), which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) for designated investment business, (Reg No. 224621) and is a member firm of the London Stock Exchange. This content is for information purposes only and neither the information contained, nor the opinions expressed within, constitute or are to be construed as an offer or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell the securities or other instruments mentioned in it. Zeus shall not be liable for any direct or indirect damages, including lost profits arising in any way from the information contained in this material. This material is for the use of intended recipients only.
Alistair Music Choice's
Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd
Money for Nothing by Dire Straits from Brothers in Arms
The Thinking Game - Documentary about DeepMind and Demis Hassabis
This content is issued by Zeus Capital Limited (“Zeus”) (Incorporated in England & Wales No. 4417845), which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) for designated investment business, (Reg No. 224621) and is a member firm of the London Stock Exchange. This content is for information purposes only and neither the information contained, nor the opinions expressed within, constitute or are to be construed as an offer or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell the securities or other instruments mentioned in it. Zeus shall not be liable for any direct or indirect damages, including lost profits arising in any way from the information contained in this material. This material is for the use of intended recipients only.
Creators and Guests
What is A Different Perspective?
A Different Perspective is a Zeus podcast, hosted by Nick Searle, Head of Equity Capital Markets. In the different perspective podcast we speak to interesting characters within finance and business to understand more about their personal journey and ambitions. This is co-mingled with a discussion about their business. It’s more about the formation of the individual than the business per se; thus trying to gain that different perspective.
This content is issued by Zeus Capital Limited (“Zeus”) (Incorporated in England & Wales No. 4417845), which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) for designated investment business, (Reg No. 224621) and is a member firm of the London Stock Exchange. This content is for information purposes only and neither the information contained, nor the opinions expressed within, constitute or are to be construed as an offer or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell the securities or other instruments mentioned in it. Zeus shall not be liable for any direct or indirect damages, including lost profits arising in any way from the information contained in this material. This material is for the use of intended recipients only.