Alternatives Insights

Technology & science · 04 Sept 2026

Reclaiming privacy

Professor Carissa Véliz analyses the risks posed to individual freedoms from digitisation.

Technology & science · 23 Aug 2026

How AI is reshaping education

Ed shares how he built Renewed Learning from his first year at university into an international tutoring business working across the UK and Hong Kong.

Technology & science · 28 Jul 2026

What society is getting from drug innovation

For much of the past half century, the social contract underpinning pharmaceutical innovation was clear. New drugs delivered longer lives, fewer hospitalisations and, in some cases, cures. In return, societies accepted steadily rising healthcare spending. That contract held as long as innovation visibly transformed outcomes. It is now being renegotiated.

Technology & science · 27 Jul 2026

Sizing AI’s environmental footprint

Viktoras Kulionis puts AI’s thirst for power into context.

Technology & science · 08 Jul 2026

Why human judgment still matters in the age of AI

Tracing ivee’s evolution from recruitment technology to AI upskilling and advisory, Amelia Miller, CEO of ivee, explores AI adoption, prompt engineering, governance, automation, and why experience remains a critical asset.

Technology & science · 29 Jun 2026

Why Asia’s energy shock will hasten the clean transition

USD 100 oil is the best advertisement for EVs, says former Philippines energy secretary Vince Pérez, who believes the Iran war is speeding up Asia's energy transition.

Technology & science · 22 Jun 2026

Technology legend Steve Wozniak surveys the IT landscape

It’s 50 years since Steve Wozniak created the first Apple computer and changed the face of modern technology. And his curiosity and insights are as keen now as they were in 1976. Wozniak’s enthusiasm for innovation is clear, and thoughts bubble from him, not least about artificial intelligence.

Technology & science · 10 Jun 2026

Future of industry: embracing data and clean energy

The tech boom makes the transition to clean energy ever more urgent – but also more achievable. We find out why at the world's largest industrial innovation summit.

Technology & science · 09 Jun 2026

The demographic cliff: accelerating automation

Ageing societies will accelerate the next wave of automation. Carl Frey, author of seminal research into the impact of robotics on the labour market and Pictet Asset Management thematic advisory board member, explains how.

Alternatives · 27 Apr 2026

Your private equity portfolio needs a passport

Geographic diversification in private equity buyout: implications across US and European markets.

Technology & science · 22 Apr 2026

How AI and Automation are improving NHS GP access

Pete takes us inside the reality of GP practices, from the pressure on front-desk staff to the outdated administrative systems that still shape much of the patient experience.

Technology & science · 27 Feb 2026

Artificial intelligence powering a healthcare revolution

Machine learning is leading us to new therapies, says Generate:Biomedicines' Michael Nally.

Technology & science · 05 Feb 2026

Where AI will really be felt

Pictet Asset Management thematic advisory board member Carl Frey looks to the past to understand how AI is likely to transform the global economy.

Alternatives · 30 Jan 2026

Housing affordability, political optics and the limits of capital restrictions

The renewed political push to restrict institutional investors from purchasing single-family homes has re-emerged as one of the most potent housing narratives in the United States.

Alternatives · 15 Jan 2026

IPOs, AI and the unicorn proliferation: The themes exciting private equity technology investors for 2026 and beyond

Pictet’s technology thematic private equity team discusses the aspects of the innovation revolution, from AI to IPOs, that are at the top of investors’ minds as we enter 2026.

Technology & science · 26 Nov 2025

AI and work

AI is already changing the world of work, but it is unlikely to cause wholesale unemployment

Alternatives · 31 Oct 2025

Investing in health through private markets amid global shifts

Following a roundtable discussion with healthcare investors and entrepreneurs in Milan, we share in a brief note some insights on investing in healthcare private equity today.

Technology & science · 24 Oct 2025

Dialogue-driven development — The human essence of platform engineering

At DevOpsDays Amsterdam 2024, Pictet Tech delivered a session titled ‘Dialogue-driven development — The human essence of platform engineering.’

Technology & science · 01 Oct 2025

We, Robot

In popular imagination, robots have near-unlimited powers: superhuman strength, agility and intelligence. The reality has been much more prosaic, argues Daegal Tsang.

Alternatives · 24 Jul 2025

Uncertainty and tariffs: the impact on global real estate

In the current environment, investing in real estate isn’t just about pricing assets – it’s about pricing policy. Doing so can help manage risks and identify opportunities.

Technology & science · 01 Jul 2025

Chips with everything

The world depends on semiconductors. In this interview, Professor Chris Miller highlights the industry's latest innovations and their implications for our future in a Q&A format with Anjali Bastianpillai, Senior Client Portfolio Manager.

Technology & science · 19 May 2025

Private equity comes to grips with AI

Pictet surveys the private equity industry about what AI means for business.

Technology & science · 16 May 2025

China tech - Throwing down the gauntlet to the US

Chinese Artificial Intelligence (AI) start-up DeepSeek stunned global markets in late January by apparently achieving comparable – or superior – performance to the world’s best chatbots at a fraction of the cost.

Alternatives · 16 May 2025

European real estate: the core plus opportunity

In a world of volatile markets and falling interest rates, European core plus real estate can offer investors diversification benefits and a strong, sustainable income stream.

Technology & science · 13 May 2025

Pictet Team Triumphs at Genev’Hack 2025

At the Genev’Hack 2025 conference, a two-person team from Pictet Tech’s Cybersecurity Engineering department won the ‘Into the Breach’ capture-the-flag (CTF) challenge.

Technology & science · 08 May 2025

Powering the future of economic growth: investment opportunities driven by the rise of AI

Data centres are at the forefront of driving energy demand in today's rapidly evolving technological landscape.

Technology & science · 06 May 2025

Staying warm without warming the planet

Decarbonising our heating and cooling systems is a key step towards net zero. District heating systems and heat pumps powered by renewable electricity could be the answer.

Technology & science · 20 Apr 2025

Platform Perseverance: 1,000 Kubernetes Clusters

The talk described how a team of three platform engineers navigated regulatory requirements, operational constraints and rigorous change management processes in order to operate 1,000 Kubernetes clusters for a Swiss private bank.

Technology & science · 15 Apr 2025

Surveying forecasts of AI’s economic effects

How big will generative AI’s economic footprint be?

Technology & science · 27 Mar 2025

Quantitative strategies: distilling the best of active and passive

Quantitative strategies represent the best of active and passive approaches. They're able to generate additional alpha but at low cost and market levels of risk.

Technology & science · 07 Mar 2025

Measuring the impact of anti-obesity drugs

The next wave of GLP-1 treatments will do more than just shrink waistlines.

Technology & science · 11 Feb 2025

Pictet at the EPFL Applied Machine Learning Days

Pictet Tech hosted a session titled “Unlocking the Power of AI and GenAI in Financial Services: Strategies for Maximising Benefits” at the AMLD. The panel included Pictet Tech specialists alongside an external expert from a financial market infrastructure organisation.

Alternatives · 15 Jan 2025

Beyond stocks & bonds: why universities invest in private assets

Some of the world’s biggest universities tap into private assets to generate returns for future generations.

Alternatives · 06 Dec 2024

Unlocking hidden wealth: the rise of private assets

Amid low interest rates and increased market volatility, private assets have enjoyed solid growth as investors adopt a longer-term view in the hope of strong returns.

Technology & science · 06 Nov 2024

Democratising education: Closing the knowledge gap

Personalisation and accessibility: how can artificial intelligence optimise learning? We speak to education specialist Sal Khan on his journey to creating Khan Academy.

Alternatives · 09 Oct 2024

GLP-1: Opportunity for humanity, risk for big pharma

New treatments for obesity could alleviate a global healthcare crisis, but also have the potential to disrupt some of the largest pharmaceutical incumbents.

Alternatives · 03 Oct 2024

Fortune favours the bold: is it time to capitalise on real estate’s tailwinds?

Alternatives · 01 Oct 2024

Private equity and sustainability: from measurement to improvement

Our second annual ESG Data Convergence Initiative report covers more than 550 companies in which we have an interest via our private-equity strategies, explaining how we expect to use better data measurements for more targeted improvements.

Technology & science · 26 Sept 2024

AI-powered digital pathology: disrupting healthcare services

AI-powered digital pathology promises to deliver faster, more accurate results and improve cancer care.

Technology & science · 27 Aug 2024

Exploring the role of AI in philanthropy

The reach of the artificial intelligence revolution is reshaping not only the way we conduct business, but also how we drive the positive change we wish to see in the world.

Technology & science · 22 Aug 2024

Harnessing wind power with rotor sails

With master mariner Kim Diederichsen at the helm, London-based Anemoi Marine Technologies is forging ahead developing its innovative rotor sails, which harness wind power and reduce fuel consumption – helping to cut fuel and emissions from the shipping industry and meet net-zero targets.

Technology & science · 06 Aug 2024

Beyond success: entrepreneurship, technology, and the evolution of clothing | Film

How will nano materials revolutionise the clothing industry? According to Steve Tidball, founder of futuristic clothing brand Vollebak, we’re entering an age where technology is going to be absorbed into our clothes, turning them into tools. But what does the future hold for clothing as it becomes a technological tool?

Technology & science · 29 Jul 2024

Smarter sport

The sporting world is becoming increasingly high-tech, encouraging people to improve health and fitness and supporting growth of the digital industry.

Alternatives · 16 Jul 2024

ASCO 2024: The art and science of cancer care, from comfort to cure

The premier annual gathering of oncology experts brought exciting news across a number of pioneering treatments, with implications for investors.

Alternatives · 29 May 2024

Countercyclical strategies: finding alpha in a crisis

The market regime can shift quickly; before it does, it may be worth putting in place allocations to investments that can profit in a crisis and act as a portfolio hedge.

Technology & science · 21 May 2024

The deepfake detectors

Sophisticated deepfake scams present major challenges for the cyber security industry – as well as major opportunities.

Technology & science · 03 May 2024

The AI Tipping Point | Film

What is unique and extraordinary about this moment in the history of technology Where are we right now? And how will AI revolutionise our daily lives?

Alternatives · 03 May 2024

The genuine potential of artificial intelligence

Following a recent series of trips to meet leading technology investors in the US, Asia and Europe, we consider the outlook for artificial intelligence and software companies in general.

Technology & science · 04 Mar 2024

As Artificial Intelligence comes of age, it’s time to unearth its promise

With investment growing fast, AI’s commercial promise can now gain traction – with some areas particularly well placed.

Technology & science · 29 Jan 2024

Gene therapy: tweaking nature's errors

Advances in gene therapy are offering fresh hope for a range of medical conditions from cancer to rare genetic disorders.

Technology & science · 12 Dec 2023

The new industrial revolution

It’s time for companies to leverage AI, robotics and digital tools to shape more resilient supply chains.

Technology & science · 13 Oct 2023

Reinventing payday

Avinash Sukhwani, co-founder of the salary-on-demand company Payflow, is aiming to ease employee access to cash beyond the monthly pay run.

Technology & science · 20 Sept 2023

Technology’s ability to address the global healthcare challenge

The impact of new technologies on healthcare systems worldwide has only just begun. Key advantages include detecting diseases early, and greater personalised care. Both should result in better patient outcomes and could reduce the cost burden on providers.

Technology & science · 14 Sept 2023

The new chattering class: how ChatGPT will change communication

Large language models like ChatGPT are a new technology that will change the way that we communicate: mostly for the better.

Technology & science · 30 Aug 2023

The power of the chip

Tiny yet immensely powerful, semiconductors are taking over the world. Professor Chris Miller, author of Chip War, explains how they work and how they impact everything from daily life to geopolitics.

Technology & science · 24 Aug 2023

Power of proteins

AI has enabled us to crack the secret of protein folding, opening the door to faster drug development, more resilient crops and bacteria-fuelled recycling.

Technology & science · 26 Jun 2023

Science versus cancer

Cancer is affecting ever more people across the globe. Science offers some hope, from creating super-charged cells designed to fight the disease to powerful new tests able to diagnose it from just one drop of blood.

Technology & science · 20 Jun 2023

Game on: esport comes of age

From the number of spectators to the list of big-name brand sponsors, computer games are increasingly competing with traditional sports.

Technology & science · 20 Jun 2023

Game on: esport comes of age

From the number of spectators to the list of big-name brand sponsors, computer games are increasingly competing with traditional sports.

Technology & science · 27 Apr 2023

Powering the Future | Film

The global economy is defined by an invention every one of us uses every single day, almost without thinking about it: a technology integral not only to our daily lives but to military might and geopolitical strategy: a technology that advances so quickly there is even a famous rule to describe the pace of progress: Moore’s Law.

Technology & science · 25 Apr 2023

The building materials of the future

Sustainable buildings of tomorrow will be made with waste and nature-based materials.

Technology & science · 11 Apr 2023

Augmenting the mind

From high-tech brain implants to mind-altering medicines, we are entering a golden age of neuro innovation.

Technology & science · 06 Apr 2023

Jolly green jumbos

Air transport is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. But there are moves afoot to clean it up.

Technology & science · 22 Feb 2023

Recycling cities

Recycling and renovating buildings is key to minimising greenhouse gas emissions. Making the new buildings sustainable and carbon neutral, like Urbanharbor has, is better still.

Technology & science · 21 Feb 2023

Why businesses are integrating blockchain for supply-chain transparency

Two-thirds of customers are reducing their environmental footprint, according to NielsenIQ. This changing profile of consumer demand is transforming the way we do business and is spawning countless green innovations.

Technology & science · 07 Feb 2023

The untapped potential of preventive health care

Healthy people are the foundation for a healthy economy, reports the U.N. But just how proactive are we about health care?

Technology & science · 31 Jan 2023

Digitalising the world's supply chains

Covid-19, rising inflation, labour shortages and now war have disrupted the logistics that underpin global trade. To adapt, companies must turn to technology.

Technology & science · 10 Jan 2023

Blue carbon to the rescue

A pioneering blue carbon project in The Bahamas is harnessing the power of seagrass, potentially creating a template for other emerging markets.

Technology & science · 10 Jan 2023

Web 3.0: more than just the Internet

The next generation Web 3.0 promises to bring an entirely new era of the Internet where society and technology interact in a more democratised and secure way.

Technology & science · 10 Jan 2023

Seven trends to watch in 2023

The key trends to look out for in science, technology and sustainability over the next 12 months – and beyond.

Technology & science · 19 Dec 2022

The sun shines on a new dawn in aviation technology | Podcast

Welcome to the edge of the world. Today we look closely at the emerging technologies helping the aviation industry become more efficient, cost-effective and sustainable. From alternative fuels to autonomous aircraft, now is the time for new markets and investment opportunities to take flight.

Technology & science · 24 Nov 2022

Is AI running out of steam?

The research effort into artificial intelligence appears to be slowing down according to patent data. It could be because as the private sector takes over the bulk of the effort, the focus of new research is narrowing.

Alternatives · 07 Nov 2022

The biotech firm building the drug-hunting factory of the future

The work behind Eikon’s groundbreaking technology has already won a Nobel Prize. Now CEO Roger Perlmutter is on a mission to help the company realise its full potential.

Technology & science · 05 Oct 2022

The metaverse: a mega opportunity

The metaverse offers a new world of investment opportunities across social media, e-commerce, remote learning and working.

Alternatives · 13 Sept 2022

With her climate-tech venture Sweep, Rachel Delacour has no time to lose

The co-founder and CEO of the French carbon-management platform wants to prove that it is possible to create value for investors and employees, while helping to protect the planet.

Technology & science · 18 Aug 2022

How a scientist in Singapore is innovating with microRNA to tackle cancer

Dr Zou Ruiyang is co-founder and chief technology officer at MiRXES, which uses the power of RNA to deliver early personalized diagnoses that can be acted upon quickly to improve and save lives.

Alternatives · 03 Aug 2022

A closer look at the pitfalls and opportunities of investing in family businesses

Technology & science · 01 Aug 2022

Will space continue to inspire wonder in humanity for generations to come? | Podcast

As NASA prepares to return to the moon, entrepreneurs like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos inspire a new generation with breath-taking space technologies and promises to make us an multi-planet species. But will space continue to inspire wonder in humanity for generations to come, or will the conquest of the cosmos transport our worst tendencies to the stars?

Technology & science · 20 Jul 2022

How NFTs are resetting conventions in the luxury goods industry

Alternatives · 05 Jul 2022

General Atlantic’s Gabriel Caillaux on what it takes to be successful in private markets

Having worked for one of the world’s leading growth-equity investors for almost two decades, Gabriel understands that growth ‘doesn’t happen by miracle’. Here, he shares some valuable insights that are relevant for anyone interested in exploring private assets.

Technology & science · 28 Jun 2022

Changing the way the pharma industry and academia work together

Technology & science · 01 Jun 2022

5G and smart cities

Mobile communication is becoming vastly more powerful with the advent of 5G, allowing for a wide range of new possibilities for the internet of things.

Technology & science · 01 Jun 2022

Space: the new innovation frontier

Space exploration is not about discovering Planet B, but about finding solutions to enormous challenges we face on Earth, says futurist Sophie Hackford

Alternatives · 05 May 2022

Multi-strategy – the ultimate diversifier?

A niche investment two decades ago, multi-strategy hedge funds have grown in popularity. As one of the pioneers of the approach, we look at its benefits and potential pitfalls.

Technology & science · 01 May 2022

The promise and peril of biometrics

By scanning your eyes or your gait, biometrics appear to offer a more practical and secure alternative to passwords. However, the technology comes with plenty of challenges.

Technology & science · 01 May 2022

Metaverse: Hype or Hyperreality

For forty years humans have dreamed of persistent virtual worlds.

Technology & science · 30 Mar 2022

Biotech – Where investors can access the value created by medical innovation

Biotechnology, or simply biotech, uses processes found in nature to develop technologies and products, not least within the area of improving human health. The biotech sector has revolutionised the treatment of disease since the 1982 development of injectable insulin used to treat diabetes.

Technology & science · 27 Mar 2022

AI: an existential threat?

Will artificial intelligence surpass and threaten humanity or can we learn to co-exist with this incredible technology? Two experts on AI give their view.

Technology & science · 23 Mar 2022

How cloud technology drive innovation? | Film

Pictet meets Amir Orad, serial CEO, entrepreneur and cyber leader, CEO of Sisense.

Technology & science · 22 Mar 2022

The long-term outlook for health and care

Innovation within healthcare serves two key purposes: improving patient outcomes and reducing or controlling the aggregate related costs to society. Over the last decade, a significant number of new technologies and services have emerged and matured that are reshaping how the major healthcare stakeholders – namely patients, providers, payers and broader society – interact.

Technology & science · 09 Mar 2022

How people and location are at the heart of the new hospitality industry

Christoph Hoffmann, along with his business partners in the 25 hours hotel group, is changing the shape of the boutique city hotel. He says the keys to success lie in variety, storytelling and people, and in creating a pioneering corporate philosophy on all three.

Technology & science · 22 Feb 2022

Meet the international art collective pushing the boundaries of creativity and tech

Since it was founded two decades ago, teamLab has become a global cultural phenomenon – and today it’s on a mission to reunite the post-pandemic world.

Technology & science · 22 Feb 2022

Fuelling the green transition

An analysis of the patent literature pertaining to energy suggests we may be at the early stages of a new wave of clean energy innovation.

Alternatives · 08 Feb 2022

Mapping cities

How do the cities we make in turn make us? Recorded live from the major retrospective exhibition ‘Light Lines: The Architectural Photographs of Hélène Binet’ at the Royal Academy of Arts, one of Europe’s oldest established art institutions at the heart of London.

Technology & science · 13 Dec 2021

Innovation

What role will innovation play in the future the global economy? What forces stand against innovation – and how can they be overcome?

Alternatives · 11 Nov 2021

Private Assets, the ultimate form of active management: Myth or Reality?

Jonathan Gray, president and chief operating officer of US private equity group Blackstone spoke recently to Pictet Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Officer César Pérez Ruiz about the macro background and how the market for private assets is changing.

Technology & science

Reimagining Fund Distribution

Retail funds face a digital threat.

Alternatives · 10 Oct 2021

Are real estate trends accelerated by the pandemic here to stay? | Film

Pictet meets Alice Charles, World Economic Forum project lead in Cities, Infrastructure and Urban Service.

Alternatives · 31 Aug 2021

The private road to tech

Who will be the next Apple, Amazon or Facebook?

Alternatives · 24 Aug 2021

The opportunity to do well by doing good in real estate

The property industry is the largest consumer of energy. By making buildings more sustainable, we can help the environment and also boost returns for real estate investments.