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AI’s impact on entry-level and early-career roles continues to gain much attention. A few weeks ago, I shared a 42-page World Economic Forum report on redesigning, rather than eliminating, entry-level roles. And last week I shared PwC’s 2026 Global AI Jobs Barometer report, which found entry-level roles in highly AI-exposed occupations are being “seniorized” to require judgment and people-management skills once reserved for experienced workers, growing 35% since 2019. This new McKinsey article builds on both, and one tactic worth zooming in on is how organizations are placing greater weight, in hiring and development, on factors such as judgment. Bank of America is one example. The bank held its 2026 intern and campus recruit class steady at nearly 4,000, matching last year’s hiring, while redesigning roles around AI and using simulation exercises to accelerate the development of skills such as judgment. Some organizations are also using the “answer-key model,” where employees complete an assignment independently, then compare their reasoning against an AI-generated response with a manager. Tracking whether that gap narrows over time is one indicator of developing judgment. One other point I would add is that if organizations are hiring early-career talent with these prioritized criteria in mind, they will need to reevaluate the tools they use, ensuring that they are valid and reliable. And if managers are going to coach early-career workers on skills such as judgment, organizations need to ensure managers are adequately equipped to do so. Both need to be factored into an organization’s broader early-career strategy.
