Citadel founder and CEO Citadel Ken Griffin has significantly softened his previously sceptical view on artificial intelligence, saying the technology is now powerful enough to meaningfully transform financial work and broader white-collar industries, according to a report by Business insider.

Griffin, who earlier this year described AI outputs as “garbage” in a World Economic Forum discussion, has since reversed course following what he described as a rapid improvement in capabilities over recent months.

Speaking in a recent conversation at Stanford Business School, Griffin said he returned home “fairly depressed” after recognising the scale of AI’s potential impact on society, adding that the technology had become “profoundly more powerful” within a short period.

He said AI systems are now capable of completing tasks that previously required highly trained finance professionals, including analysts with advanced degrees, compressing work that once took weeks or months into a matter of hours or days.

According to Griffin, the shift goes beyond incremental productivity gains. While AI tools have already improved software engineering efficiency, he argued that the more significant change is emerging in high-level research and investment analysis, where outputs are becoming increasingly automated and sophisticated.

He added that this evolution will force both firms and individuals to adapt, emphasising the importance of continuous learning as AI becomes more deeply embedded in professional workflows.