Bracha Cohen urges grads to build judgment as AI reshapes hiring

Bracha Cohen, partner and senior engineering leader in Asset & Wealth Management at Goldman Sachs, told Business Insider in a Feb. 14, 2026 Q&A, "I would tell the new generation of graduates, in this world where AI is so transformational, to build judgment and not just skills." Cohen added, "AI may automate execution, but it can't fully replace decision-making, systems thinking, and ethical reasoning," framing judgment as the key differentiator as the firm adapts AI across trading, portfolio construction, and client facing work.

Cohen, who joined Goldman Sachs as a programmer in 1994 and rose to partner after serving in various roles across business lines, said her "front row seat to Wall Street's AI revolution" informs practical guidance for early-career engineers. She urged computer science majors to "learn how to ask good questions - of humans and machines" and to "practice evaluating risk and crafting good questions, both for other people and AI models," advice repeated in multiple republications of the interview.

The hiring signal is already visible inside Goldman. Business Insider noted the firm "hired a record low percentage of interns last year," a time-relative fact that recruiters and university relations teams inside the firm will watch as they revise pipelines. Dan Popescu, newly promoted managing director and Goldman's head of AI engineering for asset management, told Business Insider that "the most competitive hires need a suite of skills: knowledge in AI engineering, finance, and traditional software engineering," underscoring that cross-discipline fluency is the recruiting bar for asset management AI teams.

Goldman executives beyond engineering have echoed the shift. David Kostin, Goldman Sachs' chief U.S. equity strategist, said on the firm's Exchanges podcast, "Think about one’s role and how that fits into the broader business environment," and added, "If you understand where you sit and your contributions to the commercial process, then you can see how that changes over time." CEO David Solomon told Axios in October, "There is no question that when you put these tools in the hands of smart people, it increases their productivity," and warned, "But if you’re looking at it and assuming an organization like Goldman Sachs…is just going to have less people, I don’t think it works that way."

Outside reporting and analysis is already mapping Cohen's message to training models. Fortune cited LinkedIn data showing AI literacy topping the fastest-growing skills in the U.S., while softer skills such as conflict mitigation, adaptability, process optimization, and innovative thinking round out the top five. Industry commentators at Aicerts Ai have urged universities and corporations to adopt role-aligned certifications and industry-recognized AI pathways, arguing that Goldman Sachs' stance treats AI as embedded infrastructure and that "degrees alone are no longer the final signal of readiness." For recruits and internal talent programs at Goldman, the practical takeaway is clear: pair AI fluency and software chops with demonstrated judgment, risk evaluation, and communication to stay competitive.