Roula Khalaf, FT Editor, features a former investment banker reflecting on AI's transformative impact on finance. Having left the industry nearly five years ago, the author admits imposter syndrome when students ask about AI financing capacity and returns. While acknowledging the massive sums involved and the obsolescence of his past skills like Lotus 1-2-3, he argues that core financial instincts remain relevant.
He notes that former bankers lack specific AI expertise but excel at reading incentives, institutional politics, and herd mentality — patterns visible in previous market booms and complex off-balance-sheet structures. The author relies on secondary sources, AI chatbots, and industry friends to stay current, highlighting that experience aids in asking better questions amid extreme uncertainty. He concludes that while superannuated financiers cannot predict returns, their understanding of cyclical risk and institutional dynamics offers practical agency in a volatile landscape.
Source: Financial Times Companies · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing