Despite broader industry job cuts, the world’s biggest banks are doubling down on their hiring of artificial intelligence specialists, according to new data from Evident. The benchmarking index’s April 2025 AI Talent Report, which claims to draw from millions of publicly available data points, shows that AI roles in banking have surged 13% over the past six months, marking the most significant jump in two years. The findings reveal that one in every fifty banking employees now works in an AI-specific role—a stark contrast to wider workforce reductions, with industry headcount declining by roughly 3% over the past two years. The numbers paint a clear picture: while many departments have reduced numbers, AI is fast becoming an island of growth and investment. JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, and Citigroup are leading the charge, topping Evident’s global AI hiring index. They are joined by Bank of America and Capital One, rounding out the top five AI employers. Together, the top ten banks account for nearly half (48%) of all AI roles in the banking sector.Notably, JPMorgan Chase and Capital One outpaced even this elite group, growing their AI talent pools faster than the overall Index rate. Evident co-founder and CEO Alexandra Mousavizadeh, an economist who also built Tortoise Media’s Global AI Index, said that AI roles in the banking sector “may be the only safe jobs right now.” AI Development, the domain responsible for building models and algorithms, saw a 6% rise. Data Engineering—covering the specialists who prepare and manage the vast datasets that feed AI systems—rose 14%. But the standout growth came from AI Software Implementation, which leapt 42%, albeit from a smaller base. This suggests a maturing phase, as banks shift focus from conceptual frameworks to scaled deployment of AI applications. Evident’s data also reveals that these top-tier banks report twice as many AI use cases as their peers and are 1.5 times more likely to measure and disclose return on investment from their AI initiatives. Evident commented that this correlation between talent and tangible results “signals a widening strategic gap between industry leaders and laggards”. BBVA stands out among the top ten for its comprehensive AI hiring. It surpassed growth benchmarks across all capability areas, expanding its AI workforce by 18%. The bank is aggressively scaling its “AI Factories” model, opening new centres of excellence in Mexico and Turkey as part of a broader push to embed AI across global operations. Behind the frontrunners, a new cohort of fast movers is emerging. CommBank, BNY, TD Bank, and Lloyds Banking Group all increased their AI headcount by more than 21%, suggesting a concerted effort to close the distance with the leaders. Capital One, in particular, is making targeted investments in Data Engineering to maintain its identity as a tech-first institution. JPMorgan Chase continues to scale advanced tools like its Quest IndexGPT, a system for generating personalised equity baskets. Meanwhile, Citigroup is focusing on infrastructure, leveraging partnerships such as its collaboration with Numerated to streamline borrower data collection. Wells Fargo and Bank of America are bolstering their AI Development teams, pointing to a strategy centred on retooling retail operations and strengthening mobile service offerings.