Wells Fargo AI chief outlines how employees can stay relevant

Saul Van Beurden, Wells Fargo's head of AI and co-CEO of consumer banking and lending, is steering the bank's response to a central question for finance: what will AI do to jobs? He says both employers and employees must share responsibility. "You cannot deny things," he said.

"But how do you make it a thing where everybody has a role to play and takes their own accountability and responsibility?" Wells Fargo isn't forcing AI on staff. Instead it is using AI literacy programs and demos to spark "grassroots enthusiasm" and make workers comfortable enough with the technology to be redeployed within the bank or competitive on the job market if they leave.

Van Beurden thinks fluency begins at home; he is building an agent to pull documents for his 2026 tax returns and encourages personal use so employees understand the technology. "It's really important to have that personal usage, to understand the power of what it can do," he said.

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