Driving GenAI Adoption: How Investment Banks Can Overcome Resistance and Lead Strategic Change

For Partners in investment banking, the real opportunity in genAI lies in accelerating insight, boosting client value, and protecting margin.

Generative AI is rapidly becoming a differentiator in financial services. Top-performing investment banks are starting to see how genAI doesn’t just speed up research and pitch development but also frees analysts to focus on the thinking that wins deals and deepens client relationships.

According to the report, 81% of financial professionals are already using genAI tools, yet firmwide adoption remains inconsistent. What appears to be holding implementation and adoption back is a lack of trust, clarity, and practical integration.

For Partners, this isn’t just a technology decision but the starting point of a strategic transformation.

Why Resistance to GenAI Persists in High-Performing Firms

Hesitation around genAI isn’t driven by lack of tools, it’s rooted in culture. In investment banking, excellence is built on accuracy, accountability, and human judgment—values deeply embedded in how teams operate. Professionals in this field are deeply invested in their expertise and reputation, which impacts how new technology, especially one that automates tasks, is received.

• 52% of financial services professionals cite privacy and security as their top concern
• 35% worry about job displacement
• Only 14% of firms provide advanced genAI training

This resistance is understandable. At its core, genAI challenges long-standing norms such as: quality comes from deep, manual diligence; insight is earned through expertise, not algorithms; and client trust is built on human judgment, not automated output.

The challenge isn’t to override this culture, but to evolve it. Partners should align adoption with firm values of precision, client trust, and performance. GenAI should be framed as supporting—not undermining—expertise.

Lead with Clarity and Confidence

For genAI to be adopted at scale, leadership must communicate both the opportunity and the guardrails. If the message from Partners around genAI is unclear or overly technical, adoption will likely stall.

Clear, confident leadership communication is key. This means addressing concerns head-on, not minimizing them.

What should Partners be communicating?

• Reinforce the purpose of GenAI: Make it clear that genAI is here to enhance—not replace—analyst output.
• Define its boundaries: Clarify where genAI should and should not be used, and when human review must step in.
• Set expectations for output quality: Define how genAI-generated work will be reviewed and validated.
• Establish accountability and ethics frameworks: Show proactive governance, ethical guidelines, and transparency.

Solutions like Nexis+ AI are designed for professional research and due diligence with safeguards, trusted content, and transparent source attribution.

Train for Strategic Fluency

Training is where genAI adoption becomes real. The report shows that firms offering advanced genAI training reap measurable benefits, including higher adoption rates, daily time savings, and greater job satisfaction. Yet most still rely on basic tool overviews.

Partners should push for:

• Role-based enablement tailored to analysts, VPs, and executives
• Critical thinking skills for refining genAI outputs
• Ethical and regulatory awareness embedded in all training modules
• Continuous learning through office hours, showcases, and peer-sharing

Training shouldn’t just show how genAI works, but build confidence in why it matters and how it drives client outcomes.

Make GenAI Part of How the Firm Works

Tools create value only when embedded in real workflows. The report reveals that 56% of genAI users in financial services save 3–4 hours per day, yet many firms struggle to scale beyond isolated use.

Partners can shift this by integrating genAI into platforms and processes already in use:

• Embed AI in pitch decks, sector briefs, and diligence processes
• Prioritize everyday, repetitive tasks like summarizing earnings and drafting slides
• Track usage and time saved, and share gains internally

Share and Scale What Works

Once adoption begins, momentum builds—but only if it’s measured, celebrated, and shared.

• Track time saved on repetitive tasks
• Monitor usage trends by team or project type
• Gather feedback on where genAI helps—or hinders

Celebrate wins. When senior bankers share success stories, it builds curiosity, boosts confidence, and paves the way for smoother adoption.

From Time Saved to Value Created

If 30 analysts each save three hours daily, that’s 450 hours per week—the equivalent of 11 full-time weeks of added capacity. Redirected to client work, that becomes commercial leverage.

Firms centralizing governance, tracking, and training are turning time savings into measurable output: faster pitch cycles, higher-quality materials, and stronger client conversations.

Turning GenAI Strategy into Scaled Impact

GenAI adoption is a leadership priority. Partners must ensure it’s introduced with purpose, scaled with precision, and aligned with firm value delivery. Structured enablement, tailored training, and clear messaging give firms lasting advantage.

Want to See How Top Firms Are Scaling GenAI?

Download the LexisNexis report: GenAI in Financial Services: The Rise of the Creative Professionalfor data, benchmarks, and real-world strategies.

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