When people think about AI in banking, their first thought is often of the jobs it might replace.
They approach AI from a place of fear. They ask themselves, “If these tools can perform some of my responsibilities in a fraction of the time, then where does that leave me?”
What these folks don’t realize is they have the chance to become some of the most important people within the bank if they view this as an opportunity rather than a threat. The vision of an AI-powered future has always benefitted a human in the loop, and highly specialized professionals within the bank are those best suited for spearheading AI supervision and optimization.
Translation? AI is poised to create jobs within the bank, not eradicate them.
Let’s explore five roles we can expect to see emerge in the coming months as AI solidifies its hold on the banking industry.
Departmental Knowledge Manager
Somebody within the institution must be responsible for making sure the information AI has access to is comprehensive. Has the bank uploaded every possible policy and procedure to ensure AI’s outputs are getting the full picture? Is that information kept up-to-date on a regular basis?
No single person will know exactly what fundamental documents each and every department needs to operate smoothly, so banks will need a team of functional area specialists to form a knowledge operations team. These won’t just be some of the first jobs we see come out of the AI boom; they’ll also quickly become key roles, with a Director of Knowledge Management overseeing their efforts.
Conversational AI Supervisor
As conversational AI becomes more prevalent in the banking industry, customers will begin interacting with external-facing tools like chatbots regularly. This means financial institutions will need to appoint someone to audit and review those conversations. The Conversational AI Supervisor will be responsible for identifying ways to optimize, augment, differentiate, and adjust to ensure those tools are as accurate and helpful as possible.
AI Risk Analyst
Every banker knows that finance is a highly regulated industry. As banks become more reliant on AI, they’ll need someone regularly examining outputs to make sure everything is buttoned up and compliant. This role will require auditing outputs to identify potential risks, then feeding that information back to the knowledge ops team to optimize in real time.
AI Business Strategist
At a higher level, the transformational power of AI requires change agents within the organization. These individuals will be responsible for identifying new opportunities for embedding AI where each department could best utilize it. A leader who comes to the table with a full understanding of your lending department, for example, can make recommendations and develop processes for where AI can improve specific operations.
AI Application Creator
AI is becoming more sophisticated by the day. With its growing ability to code, people will soon be able to type in prompts and create their own applications. An AI Application Creator will allow banks to build applications in-house, but it will be a role that requires a unique skillset: as demand for Application Creators increases, individuals who understand how banks’ current applications and processes work will be highly sought-after candidates.
New roles abound
The good news is, this list is by no means exhaustive. As banks embrace agentic and generative solutions to streamline operations, personalize customer experiences, and strengthen fraud detection, new roles to help them achieve those goals will only continue to develop.
It’s time to start viewing AI innovation as an opportunity for banking professionals to embark on new phases of their careers. The future of banking is bright!