Swiss banking group UBS plans to make AI fluency one of the selection criteria for graduates and interns joining the company in 2027, according to information reported by Financial Times. The change will apply to applicants for entry-level positions in the Global Banking and Markets unit.
UBS will not simply ask candidates whether they have used tools such as ChatGPT; it will ask them to explain how they used those tools to improve productivity or achieve practical results. The company will also add questions related to AI use to hiring interviews, while retaining the academic and interpersonal criteria currently in place.
From Using Tools to Demonstrating Value
This means UBS does not view AI as a substitute for academic qualifications or communication skills, but as a new layer added to them. Candidates will be expected to demonstrate their ability to experiment with the technology responsibly and connect its use to a real business problem, rather than offer general knowledge of the tools or recount superficial experiences with them.
According to the article, UBS is not necessarily looking for advanced AI experts from day one, but for a basic level of fluency and a willingness to learn. This approach focuses on how to prompt models, evaluate their outputs, and use them within workflows, rather than merely gaining access to a generative tool.
Training Continues After Hiring
Development of these skills will not end after candidates pass the interview. UBS’s training program includes a track called AI Fluency Pathway, which provides employees with banking-related use cases alongside guidance on the responsible use of AI.
The article indicates that Santander is also moving toward targeting advanced AI users in some of its intern and recent graduate programs. This means the skill is beginning to appear in traditional sectors such as financial services, not only at technology companies.
Why Does This Matter?
The move comes at a time when banking institutions are using AI for tasks such as financial analysis, research, and preparing client presentations—tasks that previously relied heavily on junior employees. UBS is also testing AI-powered avatars of analysts that could be used in client presentations.
The article cited previous estimates by Morgan Stanley analysts that more than 200,000 jobs in the European banking sector could disappear over the next five years because of AI and automation, after the institution doubled its estimate in May of the potential workforce reduction to the equivalent of one-fifth of jobs. It also referred to a statement by Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan, that AI had already eliminated between 30 and 40 percent of some jobs within parts of his bank.
certi.news Analysis
The direct conclusion from UBS’s decision is not that entry-level jobs will disappear immediately, but that their substance is changing. Repetitive research and analysis tasks may shift to intelligent tools, while the importance of overseeing outputs, verifying their quality, and determining how to integrate them into banking work increases.
However, the source does not explain the details of the tests UBS will use, how responsible use will be measured, or the effect of this requirement on opportunities for candidates who do not have equal access to the tools. Estimates of job losses also remain forecasts attributed to analysts rather than a final outcome. Therefore, the confirmed development at present is a change in the hiring and training standard, not a definitive resolution of the future of banking employment as a whole.