"Banker" covers very different jobs: an investment banker working on a merger, a loan officer assessing a business, a teller at the branch counter. AI and technology are affecting each one differently, so the honest answer to "will AI replace bankers?" depends on which kind of banking you mean. For advice roles, see will AI replace financial advisors?, and for accounting, will AI replace accountants?
The short answer: branch banking is where jobs are shrinking most, and has been for a while, through online banking and better ATMs as much as AI. Lending is growing only slowly as loan processing is automated. Investment banking is highly exposed task by task, but deal-making and client relationships keep demand steady. These are projections and can shift.
Three kinds of banking, side by side
| Role | ILO group (ISCO-08), band, score | US BLS projection 2025 to 2035 |
|---|---|---|
| Investment banking and analysis | Financial Analysts: gradient 4, 0.62. Securities and Finance Dealers and Brokers: gradient 4, 0.63 | Financial analysts: grow 7%. Securities and financial services sales agents: grow 1% |
| Commercial lending | Credit and Loans Officers: gradient 4, 0.60. Financial and Insurance Services Branch Managers: gradient 2, 0.47 | Loan officers: grow 1% |
| Branch and teller work | Bank Tellers and Related Clerks: gradient 3, 0.58 | Tellers: decline 13% |
ILO scores come from its 2025 index of generative AI exposure, from 0 to 1, with gradient 4 the most exposed. The ISCO system does not have a separate code for investment bankers, so the closest groups are shown.
Investment banking
Much of junior investment banking work is building models, drafting pitch materials and summarizing documents, tasks generative AI does quickly, which is why the related ILO groups sit in the highest gradient. The BLS still expects services that investment bankers provide, such as helping with initial public offerings and mergers and acquisitions, to continue to be in demand as the economy grows, and projects 7 percent growth for financial analysts, who will be needed to assess growing volumes of data. It also notes that automated trading systems have reduced demand for securities traders and that firms will focus on hiring sales agents with specialized expertise as simpler purchases move online.
What stays human: originating deals, negotiating, judging what a client will accept, and the trust that wins mandates. What changes: fewer hours on model formatting and slide production, and more checking of AI-built analysis.
Commercial banking and lending
The BLS projects 1 percent growth for loan officers, about 17,100 openings a year, limited by the decline of bank branches and increased use of productivity-enhancing technology in loan processing. Routine consumer lending decisions are increasingly made with automated tools.
What stays human: complex and business lending, where judgment about the borrower, the business and the local market matters; relationships with business clients; and handling the cases the automated process cannot decide. Lending decisions about people also raise fairness questions: the NIST AI RMF lists fairness with harmful bias managed among the characteristics of trustworthy AI (NIST AI RMF 1.0).
Branch banking and tellers
The BLS projects tellers to decline 13 percent from 2025 to 2035, though still with about 26,800 openings a year. Its reasons are mostly not generative AI: more people use online banking tools such as mobile check deposits, the number of branches has been declining due to technological change, video kiosks let tellers serve more customers from one location, and enhanced ATMs take on more tasks such as issuing debit cards.
What stays human: complex or sensitive transactions, customers who need help in person, spotting fraud and scams aimed at vulnerable customers, and building local relationships. Many branch roles are shifting from transactions toward advice and problem-solving.
Across banking
- Checking AI output: AI can produce confident but wrong figures, which NIST calls confabulation (NIST AI 600-1). In finance that can be expensive. See checking AI output.
- Customer data: banking data is highly sensitive. See AI agents and personal data.
- Accountability: decisions about money and people need a named person who answers for them. See human in the loop and accountability.
Related guides: will AI replace actuaries?, will AI replace customer service jobs? and will AI take my job?
Pay and how to get in
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median annual pay for financial analysts at $103,570 in May 2025, against $50,980 for all workers. Across the 4 BLS occupations this page covers, median pay ranges from $43,030 to $103,570. The typical education needed to enter differs between the 4 BLS occupations this page covers. See how this job compares in AI exposure by pay and AI exposure by education level.
Questions and answers
Will AI replace bankers?
It depends on the role. The BLS projects a 13 percent decline for US bank tellers from 2025 to 2035, 1 percent growth for loan officers and 7 percent growth for financial analysts. Teller decline is driven mostly by online banking and ATMs.
Will AI replace investment bankers?
Junior analytical tasks are highly exposed, but the BLS expects investment banking services such as IPOs and mergers to remain in demand as the economy grows. Deal-making and client relationships stay human.
Will AI replace bank tellers?
Teller jobs are projected to decline 13 percent, mainly because of online banking, fewer branches, video kiosks and enhanced ATMs, though about 26,800 openings a year are still expected.
Will AI replace loan officers?
The BLS projects 1 percent growth, limited by branch decline and productivity-enhancing technology in loan processing. Complex and business lending still depends on human judgment.
How exposed is banking to AI?
In ILO data, financial analysts, securities dealers and credit and loan officers are in the highest gradient, bank tellers in gradient 3 and branch managers in gradient 2.