As Wall Street races to adopt AI, global banks are paying $25,000 a day to train employees – Firstpost

Artificial intelligence is no longer just a buzzword inside Wall Street boardrooms. It is now becoming a critical survival tool for global financial institutions trying to stay ahead in an increasingly automated and data-driven industry.

Major global banks are paying as much as $25,000 per day to specialised AI training firms that teach employees how to use tools like ChatGPT and Claude for research, financial analysis, investment workflows, and internal operations.

One of the biggest beneficiaries of this trend is Wall Street Prompt, a startup founded in 2025 by former SoftBank employees Felipe Sinisterra and Dave Wang. According to a Bloomberg report, the company has quickly built a client base that includes Citigroup, Bank of America, and T. Rowe Price.

The company conducts workshops that train finance professionals to use AI for analysing startup founder pitch videos, scanning lengthy earnings-call transcripts, summarising research reports, and automating some of the most labour-intensive tasks in investment banking.

“What is happening now is that people are seeing AI as a source of edge, a source of offense,” Sinisterra told Bloomberg. “What we’ll see in the future is that people will see it as a necessity.”

Until recently, many financial institutions remained cautious about integrating generative AI into core operations because of concerns around compliance, accuracy, and data privacy. But the rapid evolution of AI systems over the past two years has triggered an aggressive race among banks to make their workforce AI-ready.

Executives increasingly believe employees who fail to adapt to AI-driven workflows could become less productive and less competitive compared to peers who effectively integrate automation into their daily work.

At the same time, AI’s growing influence is also beginning to reshape employment across the global banking sector.

Several major lenders, including Standard Chartered, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America, have announced cuts in traditional banking roles despite reporting strong earnings. Together, these banks have eliminated nearly 5,000 jobs so far, highlighting how automation and AI are fundamentally transforming the future of work on Wall Street.