Latest news with #AskCharlie
Mint
6 days ago
- Business
- Mint
Sovereign Fund GIC Uses AI ‘Devil's Advocate' for Dealmaking
(Bloomberg) -- The next time a banker pitches an investment to GIC Pte, one of the world's biggest sovereign wealth funds, their deal might get picked apart by its latest AI tools: a Virtual Investment Committee and an 'Agentic Devil's Advocate' chatbot designed to ask tough questions. GIC on Thursday unveiled a video demonstration of its newest platform to highlight how AI is changing the way the Singapore state investor does deals. About an hour after uploading data and background materials on a proposed investment, the bot spits out a detailed summary of the key issues and examples of questions an investment committee member might ask before giving it a green light. To truly prepare for pitching to human bosses, GIC staff can also switch to hard mode and 'Spar with an Agentic Devil's Advocate' - a live chat service named 'Ask Charlie' that will simulate conversations and ask curveball questions just as a real committee member might. To build the in-house AI platform, which is meant for internal-use, GIC customized several large language models and input reams of its own data gleaned from four decades of dealmaking around the world. 'We've been around since 1981, so we've got 44 years of data,' said GIC Group Chief Investment Officer Bryan Yeo. 'The data that we have across different asset classes, across different regions through our investments and through our deals actually is the competitive edge we have.' GIC is part of a growing cohort of investment firms racing to use AI to transform their operations and enhance returns. Companies including General Atlantic and Blackstone Inc. have touted their developments, while trying to back startups that could one day outshine Alphabet Inc. and Meta Platforms Inc. And while GIC's AI demonstration could be brushed off as never-to-be-used vaporware if shown by a Silicon Valley startup, few can match the heft and access of the fund - an investment giant estimated by consulting firm Global SWF to manage $847 billion in assets. Read: Singapore's Cautious Wealth Fund Takes More Private Markets Risk Even the fake deal used in the demo, codenamed 'Project Blue Sky,' was a quiet flex of GIC's size. In a $50 billion privatization for an unnamed aeronautical company, $30 billion would come from GIC and its co-investors plus $20 billion in loans, with a planned exit within seven years. That's not a stretch for a fund that was part of a rejigged €6.7 billion ($7.8 billion) deal last week, and helped close a $14 billion take-private transaction for Store Capital Corp. in 2023. The firm's internal teams are using the large language models - Yeo declined to say which - to develop agentic personas to populate the virtual investment committee. Three examples included a risk manager, a contrarian investor and an optimistic investor. Agentic AI systems can operate independently, with less human supervision than generative AI. Deal teams are already using the service, which is currently restricted to asking questions rather than passing final judgment on any deal. But chatbots serving up tough questions have already proven popular with GIC's top leaders. Chief Executive Officer Lim Chow Kiat said the most interesting interactions he's had with the AI agents come from asking them to pose questions that stimulate his thinking. He also repeats the same questions multiple times to see how the responses vary, to better understand their reasoning process. 'We have a separate kind of research tool, which we call Research Assistant, and I use it as a colleague that you can have a back and forth with,' he said. In addition, GIC has been buying stakes in external AI companies, especially in the US. 'Trends like AI benefit the US the most,' because they have so many companies that are able to leverage it, said Lim. GIC is investing in three types of AI firms: enablers that build infrastructure for the sector; monetizers that create and sell AI-infused products and services, often in the form of startups; and adopters which are using AI to improve efficiency in their core business. More stories like this are available on
Daily Mail
22-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Professional homemaker who offers £200 workshops in cooking and cleaning has followers as young as 10 years old - but insists she's NOT a tradwife
A professional homemaker has revealed how she found global success among fans as young as 10 by teaching domestic skills - and why onlookers should never mistake her for a tradwife. Charlie Gray's West Sussex countryside home she shares with her husband Simon and their three children is by no means in perfect order, but that's not her goal. 'It's about slowing down and taking the time to do small things that end up making you feel better if you've had a stressful day,' Charlie, 44, of Ask Charlie, told Femail. Small things, she explained, include ditching microwave meals for homemade dishes, planning housework, and taking time to put household items in their rightful place rather than casting them aside after use. Older generations may consider her tips basic. But, according to Charlie, the mother of Archie, 16, Coco, 15, and Gus, 14, society is witnessing a downward trajectory in home economics skills. Evidence suggests similarly. Not only is there a takeaway boom, thanks to services like Deliveroo distracting Britons from home-cooked options, but a study by Mintel found 76 per cent of the nation's parents, with children aged 6 to 17, say that their offspring have zero cleaning responsibilities. According to Charlie, the trend is resulting in individuals who are unable to adequately care for their homes due to a lack of life experience and education. That's where she steps in. 'I teach practical skills, cooking, running a home, making life easier. From batch cooking, to meal planning and organising your time.' With her values and dedication to a relaxed home, people might be quick to label her a tradwife, but Charlie believes them to be wrong. 'I don't want to be associated with them at all. I run my own business. I have my own income. I pay taxes. So I'm not a tradwife.' Charlie owes her homemaking skillset to her mother, who equipped her with the necessary skills to have a comfortable home life from an early age. 'I had an amazing mother who taught my brother and I how to do most things, and I grew up thinking that that was normal,' she said. When she became a mother, her husband travelled for work, and so she sought outside help to ease her load of raising three children born consecutively over three years. The influencer, who has more than 34,000 followers on Instagram, is married to husband Simon, 18 years her senior, whom she met while working as a secretary - she described him in an interview with The Telegraph last month as 'the most wonderful man I've ever met'. His career, running a successful seafood business, has meant she is able to stay at home and care for the couple's children, Archie, Coco and Gus. Charlie said, 'We didn't have any family that could come and help if there was a problem, or if I'd had a sleepless night. There wasn't anyone to call and say, 'Can you come and be an extra pair of hands?' So, we had an au pair.' Though she didn't know it at the time, that hire would help spark her lightbulb moment for her business because she quickly realised that others didn't share her level of understanding regarding domestic skills. 'It was then that I realised that practical skills haven't been passed down through the generations like they used to be,' she said. @askcharliehow My sourdough masterclass, I have made it as easy as I possibly can to teach you how to make your own starter and bake sourdough bread at home, with very tutorials and the note that go with I take you step by step how to make wonderful loaves at home! The links on my bio #sourdoughbread #sourdoughstarter #sourdoughbaking #makeyourownsourdoughstarter #onlinecourse ♬ original sound - Charlie Gray Charlie believes cooking skills dwindled in the late '70s when ready meals became a novelty in the UK. 'It was easy just to pop something in the oven that was frozen, and it was an exciting novelty. 'Now, there's a shift in society where people don't want ultra-processed food, people want to look after themselves. They want to know what they're eating, they don't want to eat rubbish, and so I think it's a circle back.' By 2018, when her children were a little older, Charlie decided to act on her findings and launched Ask Charlie. Explaining on her website, she writes, 'I am very aware that a lot of these practical skills that were passed down from parents have been lost over time. Without home economics lessons being taught anymore, I hope with Ask Charlie I can help. With her booming social media accounts, where she shares her tips and tricks, comprehensive online courses, and a podcast, Charlie has helped thousands of people across the globe. Many learn from her for free through social content, and she also offers online courses, starting from £5, as well as a course called Efficient Home, which runs over four weeks and costs £200. Beneath the surface of teaching how to fold, iron, and bake, Charlie is teaching others how to find comfort in their surroundings. She said, 'It's about finding what's important to you and what makes you feel comfortable in your home and your environment. 'The world is a crazy place. You listen to the news, and it's awful, and you need to have some comfort and security. Cooking and nurturing are that for a lot of people. 'I want to create. I don't want there to be controversy and angst, I just want people to feel safe and secure in their environment. So, it's a bit of escapism as well.' The reception, Charlie said, has been 'amazing'. 'I get messages from people daily, saying, 'Thank you for sharing that. It's made life easier for me.' So, it's been really positive.' Her client base is dotted around the globe, and she has younger generations soaking up her knowledge, such as how to make sourdough, and becoming fans. 'The youngest I'm aware of is 10,' Charlie said before recalling the time the child came up to her and said, 'I'm your biggest fan. I've watched all your videos. I love them, and I find you really inspiring.' Charlie continued, 'Then I have a lady in Australia who is in her late seventies. It's really varied, and there's quite a few men as well.' Closer to home, Charlie's children, Archie, Coco, and Gus, are also learning the ways of a smooth-running home from their mother. 'I get them involved,' Charlie said, adding, 'I think it's important as a parent that we can teach our children as much as possible, so they're ready when they fly the nest, and they can cook a meal, wash their clothes, and change a bed. 'It's very daunting when you leave home and go off to university, or a first job, or whatever it might be, if you don't know how to do things. So, I think it's about preparing them for the future.' It's not just her children's future she's busy prepping for, but also her own. What that entails exactly, she can't yet reveal. But she assured Femail that a string of 'very exciting' projects are in the works.
