{
  "id": 12184486,
  "title": "Wall Street Tackles Workforce’s AI Anxiety",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/wall-street-tackles-workforces-ai-anxiety",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-10-05T15:23:09.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Global Finance",
    "slug": "global-finance",
    "url": "https://gfmag.com/technology/wall-street-tackles-workforce-ai-anxiety/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized the financial services industry, but it has also caused stress and uncertainty among workers. A survey by PwC revealed that 40% of respondents felt overwhelmed by the rapid pace of change. Bhushan Sethi, a PwC partner, explained that the industry has gone through several transitions, from the Great Recession to quiet quitting and the \"no hire, no fire\" job market. Companies continue to demand faster performance from their employees while implementing AI solutions that were developed by smaller startups with less technology debt.\n\nThe survey also found that 80% of respondents expect their organization to reduce headcount by 20% in the coming years. Despite these challenges, AI has become a critical component of many financial services organizations. BNY Mellon, for example, employs over 300 AI-enabled offerings and has almost 150 digital employees. Over half of BNY's workforce utilizes AI daily, compared to only 22% of respondents in the PwC survey.\n\nBuilding trust in AI is crucial, as 44% of respondents do not trust their senior management. Bhushan Sethi suggested that human skills like empathy and kindness could help leadership manage their workforce's anxiety. BNY Mellon's Anna Domino emphasized the importance of involving employees in the redesign process and providing transparency about role changes and necessary skill development.\n\nAnother potential solution is to hire younger workers who are more comfortable with AI. Darmesh Sethi, a managing director at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp., suggested that these \"digital natives\" are confident and capable of harnessing the power of AI technologies. However, AI is also eliminating the menial work that once helped entry-level employees learn about the business. BNY Mellon's Domino noted that creating spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations is no longer a requirement for new hires.\n\nTo address this issue, senior leaders must invest time and energy into intentional hiring and employee training. Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp.'s Sethi believes that entry-level employees should move from menial tasks to decision-making roles. This shift will require a focus on apprenticeships, coaching, and shadowing to bring these young workers into contact with clients sooner than in the past.",
  "summary": "Artificial intelligence has not only transformed the financial services industry but has also created massive change fatigue among its workforce. According to the authors of PwC’s 2026 Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey, published on the second day of Sibos, 40% of respondents reported feeling were overwhelmed by the pace of change. “They have been .. The post Wall Street Tackles…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}