Even the top leadership at Goldman Sachs’ investment bank are rediscovering the client meeting craft.
Kim Posnett, co-head of investment banking at the firm, explained that artificial intelligence has fundamentally changed how these meetings function for both the institution and its clients, who now have greater access to and comprehension of information. Consequently, executives, founders, and investors she engages now demand superior counsel.
“This elevates standards for impactful discussions, since participants enter more informed and intellectually sharpened states of mind,” she said.
Posnett also uses AI to synthesize intel faster when preparing to meet with clients and, in turn, spends time on higher-order thinking, as she said is true for many senior bankers.
Junior bankers are similarly better prepared to sit in on client meetings, which is accelerating an apprenticeship culture that’s central to the firm’s identity, Posnett said. The youngest analysts can now spend more time where the true learning lives: listening to complex conversations and watching how senior bankers advise clients through high-stakes choices.
Goldman Sachs spent around $6 billion on technology investments, and CEO David Solomon encouraged this year’s interns to explore artificial intelligence within his yearly correspondence. According to Posnett, professionals throughout various sectors should emulate her guidance by striving to accelerate learning, enhance preparation, and devote additional effort toward mission-critical endeavors. For investment banking analysts at Goldman Sachs, she said that often means speeding up the research process, maybe by summarizing earnings calls or analyzing industry trends.
Yet juniors need to find the right balance between proficiently wielding artificial intelligence tools and maintaining independent judgment.
“Understand the mechanics of this technology, practice with real-world applications, leverage its capabilities responsibly, and acknowledge how effective usage enhances productivity,” she remarked. “Her critical recommendation emphasizes prioritizing sophisticated human competencies—active inquiry, nuanced decision-making, interpersonal communication, relationship cultivation, and trust establishment—that artificial intelligence cannot fully emulate.”
Posnett recently gave Goldman’s new hires five actionable recommendations for using artificial intelligence: command core investment banking technique, refine questioning strategies, optimize the time generated by automated insights, embrace accelerated mentorship pathways, and prioritize uniquely human attributes essential to commerce.
Although artificial intelligence automates numerous monotonous responsibilities traditionally associated with the initial stages of investment banking roles—such as deck preparation and modeling—Posnett stressed that foundational knowledge remains irreplaceable. True proficiency emerges exclusively through hands-on engagement and iterative practice.