SBI and Indian Bank Hire AI Leaders: SBI Offers Up to ₹1.6 Crore for a Chief AI Officer

Two of India's public sector banks are hiring senior people to build artificial intelligence (AI) teams inside the bank. State Bank of India (SBI) is hiring six AI specialists. Indian Bank is hiring eight people for its AI Cell. The Economic Times reported both drives, and the details below come from the banks' notices as reported by job and exam sites.

SBI: six posts, pay of up to ₹1.6 crore

SBI's advertisement is numbered CRPD/SCO/2026-27/30. It covers six posts on contract:

• General Manager and Chief AI Officer: up to ₹1.6 crore a year.
• Three Deputy General Managers (risk and operational analytics; AI governance and compliance; data engineering and AI operations): up to ₹1.2 crore a year.
• AI Solution Architect and Enterprise AI Architect: up to ₹90 lakh a year.

Pay is split 90% fixed and 10% variable. The figures are upper limits. The final pay is negotiated and depends on experience and current pay. There is no written exam. SBI shortlists candidates, holds an interview of 100 marks, and then negotiates pay.

Dates: applications opened on 19 October 2026. The original last date was 9 November 2026. One job site, Hellobanker, reports that it was extended to 16 November 2026. If you plan to apply, check the date on sbi.bank.in/web/careers today.

Indian Bank: eight posts in its AI Cell

Indian Bank has a notice for eight contract posts in its AI Cell, at Vice President, Deputy Vice President and Assistant Vice President level. The roles include AI product managers, AI engineers or architects, and a Responsible AI Officer, according to FreeJobAlert and other job sites. The posts are based at the bank's corporate office in Chennai.

Applications go by post, not online. They must reach the Chennai office by 1 December 2026, as listed. The Economic Times reported that the bank has kept pay open to negotiation. Job sites differ on the exact split of posts, so read the official notice on indianbank.bank.in before you apply.

Who these jobs are for

These are not fresher jobs. They ask for many years of work in AI, data or technology, and degrees such as B.E., B.Tech, MCA or an M.Sc in statistics or data science. Most people reading this will not apply. But the drives tell every tech professional something useful about banking careers.

What this says about tech careers in banking

• Banks pay for skills they trust. A public sector bank is offering private-sector pay for one reason: it needs people who can make AI work safely inside a regulated bank. Pay follows the skill a client or a regulator will trust, not the degree alone.
• Domain knowledge matters as much as code. Look at the titles: risk analytics, AI governance and compliance, Responsible AI. These roles need people who understand how a bank works, not only how a model works. In our experience at Finploy, banks prefer tech people who already know the domain: lending systems, account opening, digital KYC, data protection and document workflows.
• Go deep, not wide. Many tech freshers chase a few generic roles. Demand in banking tech is for specialised, domain-specific experience. If you want a banking tech career, choose one area, such as credit risk models, fraud detection or KYC systems, and build real depth in it.

For the many people who work in branches, sales and operations, this is also a signal. Banks are bringing AI inside, under their own control. People who learn to work with these tools, and who understand customers and risk, will be the ones the new systems are built around.

Frequently asked questions

How much does SBI pay its Chief AI Officer?

SBI's notice sets an upper limit of ₹1.6 crore a year for the General Manager and Chief AI Officer post, with 90% fixed and 10% variable pay. Final pay is negotiated.

Is there a written exam for SBI's AI posts?

No. SBI shortlists candidates, holds an interview of 100 marks, and then negotiates pay.

What is the last date for Indian Bank's AI Cell posts?

Applications go by post and must reach the bank's corporate office in Chennai by 1 December 2026, as listed. Check the official notice on indianbank.bank.in.