The bank hires about 2,500 to 3,000 interns each summer. For the 2025 internship class, Goldman received more than 360,000 applications—a 15% increase from last year, Fortune reported. With an acceptance rate of just 0.7% this year, the program is highly competitive and serves as a pipeline for permanent positions.

Goldman has a strong sense of what young finance professionals want in an employer, including a focus on technology. In a new Fortune opinion piece, Marco Argenti, Goldman’s chief information officer, argues that companies should empower young professionals with AI skills to help shape strategy.

While some predict agentic AI—autonomous systems that can perform tasks and make independent decisions—will displace junior roles, Argenti says the reality is more nuanced. Early-career workers are more essential than ever because they are “AI natives,” having grown up with generative AI and being uniquely equipped to adapt to and shape its future.

“Understanding how we nurture a generation of AI natives—and equip them with the right skills and tools to be leaders and not passive observers of this transformation—will be critical to defining the future of work, and society at large,” Argenti writes.

He continues: “Their instincts, creativity, and adaptability will determine how successfully we integrate AI into our organizations, not just as a tool but as a partner. The challenge ahead is beyond technological; it is cultural, educational, and distinctively human.”

With every major technological shift, a new generation of leaders emerges, especially entrepreneurs whose fluency with AI is reshaping the business landscape. Argenti notes: “Consider the CEOs of companies like Devin [AI], Windsurf, and Scale AI—all AI natives. Could one of them be the next Bill Gates or Michael Dell?”

Goldman recently launched its GS AI Assistant, an internal AI program that enables employees to interact with large language models securely firewalled within the company, reducing the risk of sensitive data leaks. The AI will be used for efficiency gains, the company said in an internal memo, Fortune reported.

Research shows that AI adoption among desk workers is accelerating. According to Salesforce’s latest Slack Workforce Index, a survey of 5,000 global desk workers found that daily AI users are 64% more productive and 81% more satisfied with their jobs than non-users.

More than 95% of workers have used AI to perform tasks they previously lacked the skills to do themselves, and workers are now 154% more likely to use AI agents to enhance their performance and creativity rather than simply automate tasks, according to the findings. Notably, millennials are emerging as the leading AI power users at work: 30% say they thoroughly understand AI agents, surpassing even Gen Z (22%).

As AI continues to redefine the workplace, companies like Goldman Sachs highlight the potential benefits of empowering AI natives.

Sheryl Estrada
sheryl.estrada@fortune.com

Leaderboard

Raphael Duvivier was promoted to CFO of Krispy Kreme, Inc. (Nasdaq: DNUT), effective July 11. Duvivier succeeds Jeremiah Ashukian, who decided to leave the company to pursue an opportunity with a private company. Duvivier is currently the president of International of Krispy Kreme. Since joining the company in 2019, he has held multiple leadership roles, including segment chief financial and strategy officer, International, and chief development officer. Before that, Duvivier held leadership positions at Opus Investimentos.

Brian Musfeldt was appointed CFO of Stem, Inc. (NYSE: STEM), an artificial intelligence-driven clean energy software and services provider, effective July 17. Musfeldt succeeds Doran Hole, who is stepping down. Musfeldt returns to Stem after having served as CFO of AlsoEnergy from 2017 to 2023, and was instrumental in Also Energy’s sale to Stem in 2022. From 2023 to 2025, he served as CFO of ikeGPS, a platform technology company. 

Big Deal

“How to Get ROI from AI in the Finance Function” is a report by Boston Consulting Group (BCG). The research finds that teams achieving strong ROI prioritize value from the outset, rather than pursuing learning for its own sake. Instead of focusing on isolated use cases, they adopt a broad, transformational approach.

What sets outperforming organizations apart are the implementation tactics they use and the use cases they prioritize, according to the survey findings. Out of more than 30 implementation tactics that BCG tested, 10 stood out as the most successful—including integrating AI and generative AI into the overall finance transformation, systematic tracking, developing a clear data strategy, and focusing on quick wins.

Going deeper

“Does AI Limit Our Creativity?” is a new report in Wharton’s business review. New research co-authored by Wharton professors Gideon Nave and Christian Terwiesch finds that while ChatGPT improves the quality of individual ideas, it also leads groups to generate more similar ideas. For innovation to thrive, teams must deliberately protect and promote a diversity of ideas, according to the researchers. 

Overheard

“We have very highly automated processes, and we have the scale.”

—Crayola CEO Pete Ruggiero—who started as an accountant at the company in 1997—told Fortune in an interview. In 2007, Crayola launched a major initiative to eliminate waste and increase production by automating key processes. This effort included investing in new high-speed production technologies and reducing inefficiencies using the Lean Six Sigma method—a corporate philosophy that encourages employees to identify and address problems.