For two years the AI story in banking has been a headcount story. How many graduates a bank takes, and how many it quietly stops taking. UBS has changed the question. It is no longer asking how many juniors it needs. It is asking what a junior has to be.
The change covers anyone applying to start at the Swiss bank in 2027, as a graduate or an intern in Global Banking and Markets. Those applicants will have to show that they can use AI to improve outcomes and efficiency. The Financial Times first reported the change, citing people familiar with the matter. Interviews will include questions about how candidates actually use the tools. TNW has not independently verified the account.
The bar is not whether an applicant has opened ChatGPT. It is whether they can point at a real task and explain what they handed to a model. Then say what came back that was better than before. That is a harder thing to rehearse than a competency answer, and it is meant to be.
What UBS is actually asking for
The requirement sits alongside the usual entry criteria, including a strong degree, rather than replacing them. UBS told the Financial Times that AI skills complement academic and social abilities. The same standard will apply to other newly posted roles. What UBS has not said is whether the requirement will eventually reach the staff it already employs.
