- AI is reversing traditional career paths in banking: junior employees may need to manage AI agents from day one, rather than spending years working their way into management roles.
- Kevin Sneader, Goldman Sachs’ head of Asia Pacific ex-Japan, believes new employees must know how to effectively deploy a “virtual army” of AI agents.
- Traditionally, junior employees handled analysis, document preparation and other foundational tasks before gradually advancing into management. AI is increasingly taking over these responsibilities.
- The key consequence is not just job losses, but the shift of management functions to the front line. Employees doing the work directly are also becoming responsible for assigning tasks to AI agents, checking their outputs and supervising their performance.
- Sneader argues that the generational challenge lies in middle management, as some traditional coordination functions performed by these managers may no longer be necessary.
- Sandra Peterson of Clayton, Dubilier & Rice believes the pyramid-shaped staffing model used by banks and professional services firms could undergo fundamental changes.
- As AI handles much of the entry-level work, companies may also need fewer new graduates. This could reshape the talent development pipeline from the very beginning.
- The Monetary Authority of Singapore has identified a similar trend: operations staff will need to transition into roles that manage and supervise AI agents.
- Singapore is preparing by providing AI skills training for banking employees and working with universities to adjust graduates’ skill sets.
- Sneader also sees significant opportunities for young people: AI reduces the resources needed to start a business, lowering barriers to entrepreneurship.
📌 The most profound change may not be how many jobs AI replaces, but how it reshapes organisational structures. The traditional model of “junior employees do the work → middle managers manage people → senior leaders make decisions” could evolve into “junior employees plus multiple AI agents → fewer layers of management → senior leadership”. This raises two major questions: how will companies develop future experts if AI eliminates entry-level work where employees traditionally learn their trade, and what roles will middle managers move into?
