What Drives the Deal? AI and the New Logic of M&A | AI House Davos 2026

How is AI reshaping M&A strategy, valuation, and risk? Are AI capabilities becoming premium assets or standard operating baseline? AI is becoming a game-changer in M&A, reshaping why deals happen, how targets are valued, and which industries will evolve next. This session challenges traditional assumptions and explores the future of deal-making. How is AI redefining what companies seek to acquire—is the motive shifting toward securing talent and technology, or adapting to new business models as existing ones mature? How should deal teams think about valuing AI capabilities? Do acquisitions of AI-intensive businesses introduce new types of risk, or simply amplify familiar integration challenges? Speakers Eva Scherer (Daimler Truck, CFO and Member of the Board of Management) Alexander Mayer (J.P. Morgan, Head of Germany & Austria – Senior Country Officer) Dagmar Mundani (Siemens, Corporate Vice President – Mergers, Acquisitions, Post Closing and Government Engagement) Moderator Holger Kneisel (KPMG Germany, Head of Advisory) (c) AI House Davos 2026 Founders & Strategic Partners: ETH AI Center, Merantix, G42, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, EPFL AI Center, The University of Tokyo Presenting Partner: KPMG