Episode #29
Will AI Replace Advisors?
“Imagine AI like a junior employee. You can trust it to do a certain amount of the work, but are you going to trust it to deliver those documents to the buyer right after? Probably not. You’re going to review that.” — Gal BarzilayIn this episode of the Power Exit Podcast, John Marsh sits down with Gal Barzilay, CEO and Co-Founder of Legacy AI, an AI-native technology platform built for business brokers and M&A advisors. She and John dig into where AI is already changing the deal process, from marketing materials and financial analysis to buyer screening, deal management, FAQs, and communication. They also get into where advisors need to be careful, why Gal thinks of AI as a junior employee rather than a replacement for expertise, and why sensitive areas such as legal documents and later-stage diligence still demand experienced human review.The conversation also looks ahead. Gal shares how she expects AI agents to become more integrated into an advisor’s day-to-day workflow, why buyers are moving faster as their own technology improves, and how that increased speed raises expectations for advisors. She and John also discuss one of the biggest mistakes firms are making with AI: becoming overwhelmed by everything it can potentially do and ultimately doing very little with it. In this episode, you'll learn: How Gal’s parents’ experience trying to sell their family business ultimately led her into the M&A industry. Where AI is already being used in the deal process, including marketing materials, financial analysis, buyer workflows, and deal management. Why Gal recommends treating AI like a junior employee whose work still needs to be reviewed by an experienced advisor. Why legal documents, LOIs, and later-stage deal work require additional caution when AI is involved. How AI’s ability to analyze financial information has improved and why Gal sees financial analysis as one of the areas with significant potential. Why Gal believes technology can make an advisor more effective without replacing the relationships, trust, and judgment at the center of M&A. How to identify the right AI use cases by starting with the biggest bottlenecks inside your own business. Why Gal recommends Claude as a tool for advisors who want to deepen how they use AI in their day-to-day work.Whether you're an M&A advisor trying to figure out where AI actually belongs in your workflow, a business owner thinking about an eventual exit, or simply trying to separate practical applications from the noise around AI, this conversation offers a grounded look at how technology is changing the deal process — and where human expertise still matters most. Connect With John LinkedIn – / marshcreek Connect With Gal LinkedIn - / gal-barzilay Subscribe To The PowerExit™ Insights Newsletter: https://www.mcreek.com/newsletter/ More resources ➝ https://www.mcreek.com/ About John Marsh: John Marsh is the Founder and Managing Partner of Marsh Creek Advisors, a boutique M&A advisory firm that helps business owners navigate the sale of their companies with confidence and clarity. Since founding the firm, John has closed hundreds of millions in transactions and earned national recognition as Top Global Producer by the International Business Brokers Association and part of the Firm of the Year by M&A Source — the highest honors in the industry.Before launching Marsh Creek, John served as CFO and later General Manager of a high-growth medical device company, where he led over $300 million in M&A activity, including a $161 million sale to private equity. Earlier in his career, he worked at Ernst & Young and Frazier & Deeter, where he focused on financial reporting and audit services for both Fortune 100 companies and privately held businesses. John holds a BA from the University of Georgia and an MBA from Kennesaw State University. He lives in Sandy Springs, Georgia, with his wife and two daughters.
