The Swiss major bank UBS requires proof of practical AI competence from career starters in the area of Global Banking and Markets starting from the 2027 cohort. Job interviews will now examine specific examples of the candidate’s use of AI tools; mere use of ChatGPT is not sufficient. New employees will also go through the internal program AI Fluency Pathway.
UBS asks for real AI examples in job interviews
The regulation initially affects graduates as well as interns starting in 2027 in the Global Banking and Markets division. As TNW reports citing the Financial Times, UBS is adding a practical AI assessment to the traditional hiring criteria. This still includes a degree with at least a 2:1 grade under the British system. New is that candidates should demonstrate in the interview a specific task showing what they gave to an AI model and what was better about the result than before. The questions are based on real projects, such as the automated evaluation of financial metrics or the preparation of client documents. Mere familiarity with common chatbots like ChatGPT is not enough; responsible use of AI to improve work results and efficiency is required. According to reports, UBS is among the first European major banks to formally write down such a requirement. Whether the bank will extend this requirement to other corporate areas or to already employed staff remains open.
Internal program trains new employees in practical cases
Those who pass the hurdle subsequently go through the internal program AI Fluency Pathway. It conveys practical use cases from the banking business and trains responsible handling of AI outputs. The program builds on an already existing training structure. Since 2024, according to the bank, more than 38,000 employees have completed so-called AI learning journeys, and more than 49,000 have taken AI-related online courses – independently unverified figures. By July 2026, over 21,000 employees are said to have earned the internal badge “AI Citizen.” The AI Fluency Pathway is aimed exclusively at newly hired graduates and interns, not at existing staff. The training takes place before the actual start of work and is mandatory for the affected cohorts. The bank expects this to produce more uniform handling of AI tools across all its locations worldwide. For already employed staff, the bank continues to offer voluntary internal training programs on AI topics. The bank has not disclosed how many applications fail to meet the new hurdle.
Other banks are also raising expectations for newcomers
This step is part of an industry-wide trend. Spain’s Santander also requires advanced AI user knowledge for certain trainee programs. Investment banks increasingly use AI tools for tasks previously handled by career starters, such as research for pitch books or document review. A Harvard Business School study found that AI-native start-ups structurally create fewer entry-level positions than comparable companies without an AI focus. UBS, by contrast, emphasizes that AI competence should complement existing requirements rather than replace them – academic performance, analytical thinking, and communication skills remain central selection criteria, it says. Pressure is also growing at other international firms to introduce career starters to AI-supported workflows earlier, but formal requirements like those at UBS remain the exception for now. Critics warn that premature automation of entry-level tasks could deprive newcomers of practical learning experience that matters for later leadership roles. Research on the long-term effects for career entry in finance is still pending. There are currently no reliable figures on whether the approach works.
It will be crucial whether UBS actually extends the requirement to other corporate areas and existing employees, as the bank considers possible. It also remains open how the bank will concretely measure the required AI competence in interviews, and whether other large European banks follow suit with their own binding rules.
