The asset manager that is part of Geneva-headquartered Pictet is getting in on the robo-action with its latest fund launch.

Pictet Asset Management has launched a fund to invest in robotics and artificial intelligence technologies.

The Pictet-Robotics fund aims to take advantage of the rise of the robo-trend, which has already seen the traditional wealth management industry open up to a raft of robo-advisors and automated investment services. The robotics industry is expected to deliver a compound annual growth of 10 per cent, which is almost four times faster than the estimated growth of the global economy over the next decade, according to research from the Boston Consulting Group.

The new fund, a Luxembourg Sicav, will form part of the firm’s range of thematic strategies which looks to capitalise on long-term socio-economic trends and includes specialist funds in digital communication, security, health and water. 

Pictet highlighted the sheer scope of modern robotic devices, from the use of robots that can detect changes in facial expressions and tones of voice in services and security industries to robots that assist surgeons in complex procedures in the healthcare industry.

“Robots have long been used in factories to automate dangerous, dirty or dull tasks. But the pace of invention is accelerating as robots are becoming indispensable to our professional and personal lives. Companies active in robotics seem bound to enjoy strong growth from this new wave of innovation,” said Pictet’s senior investment manager, thematic equities, Karen Kharmandarian.

Pictet-Robotics is set to launch on 8th October 2015 and is currently registered in Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the UK. It is expected to become available in other countries soon.