AI hiring in the banking sector has increased by 13 per cent in the past six months, with JP Morgan, Wells Fargo, and Citigroup leading the way, according to new research.

Analysis from Evident, an intelligence platform that tracks adoption of AI in banking, suggests that the higher AI headcount represents the biggest half-year jump in two years.

The platform says that the top 10 banks for AI adoption are driving nearly half (48 per cent) of global AI hiring in the sector, while nearly one in every 50 banking employees now works in an AI-specific role.

In a new report published on Wednesday, the company finds that over the past six months, banks have hired across all capability areas, with AI development growing six per cent, data engineering jumping 14 per cent, and AI Software Implementation surging by 42 per cent (off a smaller base.)

The research follows the publication of Evident's benchmark for AI adoption last October.

The top banks for AI adoption according to the current benchmark are as follows:

1. JP Morgan
2. Wells Fargo
3. Citigroup
4. Bank of America
5. Capital One (+1)
6. UBS (-1)
7. BNP Paribas
8. BBVA (+1)
9. HSBC (-1)
10. Barclays

These banks have continued to demonstrate robust growth in AI talent volume (12 per cent), with JP Morgan, Capital One, and BBVA exceeding the growth rate of the overall Index.

“Our data suggests that AI roles may be the only safe jobs in banking right now,” said Alexandra Mousavizadeh, co-founder and chief executive, Evident. “Away from the market noise and volatility, the leading banks are quietly but relentlessly pressing forward with AI transformation. They’re adding talent with increased precision, laser-targeting their efforts on where hiring will help scale AI use cases that deliver measurable value.

“To date, AI has mostly been used to augment workflows. But with industry headcount down around three per cent over the past two years, and major cost savings now explicitly tied to AI, the dynamic is shifting.”

BBVA is the only bank on the leaderboard that exceeds average growth benchmarks in every capability area, growing its AI talent volume by 18 per cent as it continues with the expansion of its AI Factories, adding centres of excellence in Mexico and Turkey.

Outside of the leaderboard, Evident's data suggests that CommBank, BNY, TD Bank, and Lloyds Banking Group are rapidly growing AI headcount by over 21 per cent at scale.

Mousavizadeh adds: “The pressure is really on the lagging banks. If you’re still in the early stages of executing an AI strategy, trying to determine the right pathway forward - and staff up for the journey while making cuts elsewhere - is a giant undertaking. The impact of a downturn or full-blown recession could be that we see the AI leaders pull even further ahead.”

Earlier this year, Evident revealed that Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, CommBank, and ANZ are driving 35 per cent of all documented banking AI use cases.

The organisation’s AI Use Case Tracker revealed that Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan are the top two banks for the disclosure of AI use cases.

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