AI impact on middle managers: Goldman Sachs ring alarm bells as freshers could do senior-level work from day one

Artificial intelligence could turn the traditional corporate career ladder upside down, with fresh graduates potentially taking on work that once required years of experience. The shift could be particularly disruptive for middle managers. Kevin Sneader, who leads Goldman Sachs’ Asia-Pacific business outside Japan, said AI could move management responsibilities closer to the frontline as young employees begin supervising AI agents.

His comments suggest that the impact of AI may go beyond reducing routine work. It could also change who manages, who gets promoted and how employees build experience. Speaking at the Milken Institute Asia Summit in Singapore, Sneader said young employees entering the workforce could find themselves managing AI agents from the beginning of their careers.

AI could put freshers in charge of a ‘virtual army’

For decades, young professionals in banking and other professional services have followed a familiar route. They join as junior employees, spend years working on research and analysis, gain experience and eventually move into management. AI could shorten that journey.


Sneader said young workers would now have to make the most of a “virtual army” of AI agents. In other words, a fresher may not simply use AI to complete individual tasks. They could be expected to direct multiple AI systems and decide how the work gets done. That could give junior employees responsibilities that traditionally came with greater seniority.

Middle managers could face the biggest disruption

The bigger question is what happens to the managers sitting between junior employees and senior leadership. Middle managers have traditionally coordinated teams, assigned work, reviewed output and helped senior executives turn strategy into action.

AI could take over parts of that process. Sneader said the management task could shift from middle managers to employees on the frontline. He also described the redeployment of existing managers as a major challenge for companies across many sectors. That makes middle management one of the groups potentially most exposed to the workplace changes brought by AI.

Freshers may get senior-level responsibilities earlier

The change could also disrupt how employees gain experience. In the traditional model, junior workers learn by handling smaller assignments before taking on more complex responsibilities. Promotion comes after years of experience and demonstrated ability.

But if AI handles much of the routine work, companies may need fewer employees performing those entry-level tasks. Instead, a young employee could potentially supervise AI-generated analysis, check its output and make decisions based on the results much earlier in their career. The result could be a workplace where experience is no longer measured simply by how many years someone has spent doing a particular task.

Employees gradually move upwards as they gain experience. AI could challenge that structure if companies no longer need as many people to perform routine entry-level work. That could make the first few years of a finance career look very different from the path followed by previous generations.