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The rise of AI has impacted nearly every industry. Internships aren’t immune to these changes, and recently we have seen changes both in how employers structure their programs and what students must do to be prepared. Here are three ways AI has impacted internships, and what you need to know in order to navigate this changing landscape.
Need for AI skills
Skills-based hiring has pushed skills to the top of the priority list when it comes to getting an internship and succeeding at it. With 78 percent of companies utilizing AI according to St. John’s University, AI skills are no longer just a “nice to have.” The specific AI skills that are required for an internship can vary by industry, but overall, some of the most important expertise to have include prompt generation, knowledge about machine learning fundamentals, and experience with specific platforms, including Gemini, Claude, and Copilot. Students are expected to have some of these skills when applying to an internship, which makes learning them crucial to your success. If your college coursework hasn’t provided all the knowledge you need, explore ways to build your knowledge outside of the classroom through online courses or independent experimentation with AI models.
Higher level responsibilities
AI is widely being used to streamline workflows and automate mundane, time-consuming tasks. Historically, some of these tasks have fallen to interns, and with AI now taking care of them, interns are being given more senior responsibilities. PwC has found that interns are being tasked with work that in the past would be given to full-time employees. The skills that will help interns be successful with these advanced tasks include problem-solving and decision-making. Interns are now being asked to make real decisions on real work, not just enter data.
EY residency
AI is also changing the entire structure of internships. According to Business Insider, EY has recently switched from an internship program to a residency program. Internships are typically 6- to 12-week programs, and EY has found that this is not enough time to properly prepare interns for full-time work in the age of AI. This residency program will now be part-time work and span an entire year, giving students more in-depth work exposure and training for their full-time roles.
As of August 2026, EY is the only firm in the Big 4 that has announced this change. However, with the valid reasons for this shift, we could start to see more of these career residencies in the future.
Internships will continue to change as AI continues to advance and be utilized by employers. If you are in the market for an internship, check out top programs in the Vault Internship Rankings.
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