Using artificial intelligence and data science, investors will be able to bring the portfolio construction and risk modeling techniques that they have long used for public securities to alternatives like private equity and venture capital, according to research published by BlackRock. Private market investors have faced barriers to improving their portfolio construction, including illiquidity, opaque valuations, and a lack of public information. But the BlackRock paper, expected to be published Friday, offers a portfolio framework investors can use for alternatives. By using AI and data science techniques, investors can forecast the performance of potential investment opportunities in different asset classes over time and optimize various combinations of funds according to their risk appetite, BlackRock said.