AI Is Great At Analyzing The Past. Venture Capital Bets On The Future

BusinessEnergyAI Is Great At Analyzing The Past. Venture Capital Bets On The FutureByAnna Demeo,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Anna Demeo is an executive and advisor on energy infrastructure and AIFollow AuthorMay 31, 2026, 07:05am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.VCs betting on the next big shift Getty ImagesThe venture capital world thrives on the notion that a handful of companies will reshape entire economies. Now the tools investors increasingly rely on to spot those companies may be working against them.Roughly three-quarters of venture capital firms now use AI to help evaluate deals. It’s faster and more thorough than anything that came before it, processing pitch decks, sizing up competitors and flagging risks. But there is a fundamental problem with this approach: AI is trained on the past, but startups that reshape industries rarely resemble the past.Bias Of The AI AnalystFor decades, VC investing has followed a familiar ritual. A founder presents a pitch deck. Investors meet the team and run diligence. They invite advisors and industry experts to weigh in. Together they ponder whether this startup is the next Google, Uber or NVIDIA. They ask, is this the next improbable company that could change everything? And eventually someone places a bet on a future that does not yet exist.In many ways, AI is a genuine upgrade to the investment process. Investors paste in diligence materials and ask questions like: Is this market real? Who are the competitors? What are the risks? Is this technology actually feasible?AI can scan thousands of research papers, patents and industry reports in seconds. It can map competitive landscapes and identify regulatory hurdles. At speeds unimaginable even a year ago, AI supplies investors with a confident, seemingly thorough and impressively well informed analysis.MORE FOR YOUBut the strength o...