Goldman Sachs' new AI tool applies for internship
In an academic paper released yesterday, Goldman Sachs' AI research group revealed that a large language model developed to help train and assess junior bankers was among this year's internship applicants at the US bank.
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Dubbed “Samuel” by Goldman’s researchers, the model was trained on data from Goldman's 315,000 summer internship applications in 2024. The intention was to develop a simple method for recruitment professionals at the firm to appraise applicants using the responses of previously successful interns who went on to receive an offer.
However, the research paper reveals that Samuel evolved in an unexpected way. At some point, the AI discerned that Goldman Sachs interns earn up to $85k and submitted its own application under the name of "Carol".
Carol completed the Goldman application form impeccably, explaining in 200 words why she wanted to work for the firm and how extracurricular activities in data parsing made her a highly appropriate candidate. She performed similarly well in numerical tests and HireVue interviews using a digitally simulated avatar. It was only when Carol was called to an assessment centre in London that Goldman Sachs' recruiters realised that the high performing intern applicant was in fact Samuel gone AWOL.
The firm declined to comment on the contents of the paper. It's understood that Samuel/Carol will not be part of this year's summer analyst class.
(This article is not a true depiction of events at Goldman Sachs and is an April Fool's piece)
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