Artificial intelligence is already transforming software development, customer support and research, and OpenAI now appears to be setting its sights on one of the most demanding white-collar professions—investment banking. According to a Business Insider report, the company is hiring an investment banking specialist for its Applied AI team in San Francisco, offering a base salary of $185,000 to $205,000 (approximately Rs 1.6 crore to Rs 1.7 crore), along with equity.
However, the role is not a conventional investment banking position. Instead, the successful candidate will help train and evaluate AI systems that could eventually automate many of the routine tasks performed by investment bankers.
According to the job listing, OpenAI is seeking candidates with at least two years of investment banking experience, including expertise in company and industry research, financial analysis, valuation, due diligence, transaction execution and preparing client presentations.
"You will bring deep, current knowledge of how investment banking work is actually performed, including company and industry research, financial analysis and modeling, valuation, diligence, transaction execution, and the creation and review of client materials," the company said in the job description.
Rather than advising clients or executing deals, the selected candidate will help OpenAI's AI models understand how investment bankers carry out their work. The company said the role involves helping "define the quality bar for AI-assisted investment banking work" by evaluating AI-generated outputs, identifying strengths and weaknesses in the models, and assisting product teams in building tools that address real-world banking workflows.
The position also requires close collaboration with OpenAI's product teams to identify the most valuable applications of AI in investment banking, develop AI-powered workflows and ensure that the resulting tools meet industry standards. The company is also looking for someone who understands how responsibilities evolve as professionals progress from junior analyst roles to senior leadership positions.
"Understand how work and judgment evolve from junior analyst through director, and can identify where AI should automate execution, support decision-making, or remain subject to human review," the job description states.
The Business Insider report does not suggest that OpenAI intends to eliminate the role after training its AI systems. However, it raises broader questions about how such positions may evolve as AI becomes increasingly capable of performing complex investment banking tasks.
AI companies target Wall Street
The recruitment drive reflects a broader trend of AI companies focusing on financial services, one of the most valuable enterprise markets.
OpenAI is not the only company pursuing this strategy. Rival AI firm Anthropic recently introduced a suite of AI agents designed to automate many repetitive tasks commonly performed within financial institutions. According to the company, financial services has become its second-largest enterprise business after the technology sector.
OpenAI has also demonstrated how its latest AI models can perform knowledge-intensive work, including financial analysis. While the company is reportedly preparing a broader release of GPT-5.6, those plans have been temporarily paused.
Meanwhile, leading investment banks continue to make substantial investments in artificial intelligence.
JPMorgan Chase is spending approximately $18 billion annually on technology, with AI representing a major area of focus. Goldman Sachs is also investing around $6 billion in technology this year.
Goldman Sachs has backed OpenAI's Deployment Company venture and partnered with the company on its Trusted Access for Cyber programme. JPMorgan, meanwhile, was among the early partners in Anthropic's enterprise AI initiatives.
