High-Paying AI Jobs & Careers to Pursue in 2024

The AI revolution is opening doors to growth and innovation, and with AI jobs hiring on the rise, I find a career in AI to be exceptionally rewarding. Industries from healthcare to space exploration are embracing AI, leading to a soaring demand for skilled professionals. As an AI professional, I am positioned at the forefront of technological advancements, with access to a variety of high-paying, dynamic job roles.

In this post, I will highlight the top ten AI careers, showcasing why now is the ideal time to dive into this thriving field and shape the future. With AI jobs hiring across various sectors, exploring the benefits of landing an AI job has elevated my career to new heights.

We strongly recommend that you check out our guide on how to take advantage of AI in today’s passive income economy.

Is AI a Good Career?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a promising career path due to significant job growth, with AI jobs hiring increasing by 32% in recent years. With AI jobs hiring across the board, there’s a notable talent gap indicating a high demand for qualified professionals. AI roles, including engineers, researchers, and specialists in natural language processing, command high salaries, averaging over $100,000, reflecting the industry’s value and potential for financial reward.

The field offers diverse growth opportunities and flexibility, allowing professionals to work in various capacities such as freelancers, consultants, or product developers. Moreover, the skills acquired in AI are transferable across numerous industries, making it a versatile and attractive career choice. As AI jobs hiring continues to grow, this field presents a lucrative and fulfilling career path for those interested in technology and innovation.

AI Jobs & Careers

Despite being a new and niche field, careers in artificial intelligence aren’t homogenous. Within AI, there are various kinds of jobs needing specific skills and experience.

Machine Learning Engineer

Machine learning engineers are at the forefront of AI jobs hiring, positioned at the intersection of software engineering and data science. They leverage big data tools and programming frameworks to create production-ready scalable data science models that can handle terabytes of real-time data.

With AI jobs hiring actively, machine learning engineer roles are ideal for those with a background that combines data science, applied research, and software engineering. AI jobs seek applicants with strong mathematical skills, experience in machine learning, deep learning, neural networks, and cloud applications, and programming skills in Java, Python, and Scala. It also helps to be well-versed in software development IDE tools like Eclipse and IntelliJ. You will probably need a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related field.

The average salary of a machine learning engineer in the US is $131,000. Organizations like Apple, Facebook, Twitter, etc., pay significantly higher—in the average salary range of $170,000 to $200,000. As AI jobs hiring continues to rise, machine learning engineers are increasingly in demand, making it a lucrative career choice for those with the right skills and qualifications.

Data Scientist

Data scientists are at the core of AI jobs hiring, as they collect raw data, analyze it, and glean insights for a wide range of purposes. With AI jobs hiring in various sectors, they use various technology tools, processes, and algorithms to extract knowledge from data and identify meaningful patterns. This could be as basic as identifying anomalies in time-series data or complex as predicting future events and making recommendations. As AI jobs hiring continues to grow, the primary qualifications expected of a data scientist remain critical in this evolving field.

• A bachelor’s degree
• Advanced degree in statistics, mathematics, computer science, etc.
• Understanding of unstructured data and statistical analysis
• Experience with cloud tools like Amazon S3 and the Hadoop platform
• Programming skills with Python, Perl, Scala, SQL, etc.
• Working knowledge of Hive, Hadoop, MapReduce, Pig, Spark, etc.

The average salary of a data scientist is $105,000. With experience, the average salary can go up to $200,000 for a director of data science position.

Business Intelligence Developer

Business intelligence (BI) developers process complex internal and external data to identify trends. For instance, in a financial services company, this could be someone monitoring stock market data to help make investment decisions. In a product company, this could be someone monitoring sales trends to inform distribution strategy.

However, unlike an analyst, business intelligence developers don’t create the reports themselves. They are typically responsible for designing, modeling, and maintaining complex data in highly accessible cloud-based data platforms for business users to use the dashboards. The qualifications expected of a BI developer are:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science, or a related field
• Hands-on experience in data warehouse design, data mining, SQL, etc.
• Familiarity with BI technologies like Tableau, Power BI, etc.
• Strong technical and analytical skills

Business intelligence developers earn an average salary of $86,500, going up to an average salary of $130,000 with experience.

Research Scientist

The research scientist role is a key position in AI jobs hiring, being one of the most academically-driven AI careers. They ask new and creative questions to be answered by AI and are experts in multiple disciplines in artificial intelligence, including mathematics, machine learning, deep learning, and statistics. With the rise in AI jobs hiring, like data scientists, researchers are expected to have a doctoral degree in computer science.

Hiring organizations, amidst the surge in AI jobs hiring, expect research scientists to have extensive knowledge and experience in computer perception, graphical models, reinforcement learning, and natural language processing. Knowledge of benchmarking, parallel computing, distributed computing, machine learning, and artificial intelligence are a plus.

As AI jobs hiring continues to expand, research scientists are in high demand and command an average salary of $99,800, although the average salary may vary.

Big Data Engineer/Architect

AI jobs hiring is actively seeking big data engineering professionals and architects who develop ecosystems that enable various business verticals and technologies to communicate effectively. In the midst of AI jobs hiring, compared to data scientists, this role can feel more involved, as engineers and architects typically are tasked with planning, designing, and developing big data environments on Hadoop and Spark systems.

With the current trend in AI jobs hiring, most companies prefer professionals with a Ph.D. in mathematics, computer science, or related fields. However, as a more practical role than that of, say, a research scientist or AI engineer, hands-on experience is often treated as a good substitute for a lack of advanced degrees. Big data engineers are expected to have programming skills in C++, Java, Python, or Scala. They also need to have experience in data mining, data visualization, and data migration.

As AI jobs hiring continues to grow, big data engineers are among the best-paid roles in artificial intelligence, with an average salary of $151,300. Your average salary may vary across industries, though.

Software Engineer

AI software engineers build software products for AI applications. They bring together development tasks like writing code, continuous integration, quality control, API management, etc., for AI tasks. They develop and maintain the software that data scientists and architects use. They stay informed and updated about new artificial intelligence technologies.

An AI software engineer is expected to be skilled in software engineering and artificial intelligence. They need to have programming skills as statistical/analytical skills. Companies typically look for a bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, physics, mathematics, or statistics. To land a job as an AI software engineer, certifications in AI or data science are helpful too.

The average salary of a software engineer is $108,000. This goes up to an average salary of $150,000 based on your specialization, experience, and industry.

Software Architect

Software architects design and maintain systems, tools, platforms, and technical standards. AI software architects do this for artificial intelligence technology. They create and maintain AI architecture, plan and implement solutions, choose the toolkit, and ensure a smooth data flow.

AI-driven companies expect their software architects to have at least a bachelor’s degree in computer science, information systems, or software engineering. As a practical role, experience is as important as educational qualification. Hands-on experience with cloud platforms, data processes, software development, statistical analysis, etc., will place you in good stead.

Software architects earn an average salary of $150,000. Your average salary can go up significantly with expertise in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data science.

Data Analyst

For a long time, the data analyst was someone who collected, cleaned, processed and analyzed data to glean insights. For the most part, these used to be mundane, repetitive tasks. With the rise of AI, much of the mundane work has been automated. Therefore, the analyst role has upgraded to join the new set of AI careers. Today, data analysts prepare data for machine learning models and build meaningful reports based on the results.

As a result, an AI data analyst needs to know more than just spreadsheets. They need to be skilled in:

• SQL and other database languages to extract/process data
• Python for cleansing and analysis
• Analytics dashboards and visualization tools like Tableau, PowerBI, etc.
• Business intelligence to understand the market and organizational context

A data analyst earns an average salary of $65,000. However, high-technology companies like Facebook, Google, etc., pay in excess of $100,000 average salary for data analyst roles.

Robotics Engineer

The robotics engineer is perhaps one of the first of AI careers, when industrial robots were gaining popularity as early as the 1950s. From the assembly lines to teaching English, robotics has come a long way. Healthcare uses robot-assisted surgeries. Humanoid robots are being built to be personal assistants. A robotics engineer’s job is to make all this and more happen.

Robotics engineers build and maintain AI-powered robots. For such roles, organizations typically expect advanced degrees in engineering, computer science, or similar. In addition to machine learning and AI qualifications, robotics engineers might also be expected to understand CAD/CAM, 2D/3D vision systems, the Internet of Things (IoT), etc.

The average salary of a robotics engineer is $87,000, which can go up to an average salary of $130,000 with experience and specialization.

NLP Engineer

Natural Language Processing (NLP) engineers are AI professionals who specialize in human language, including spoken and written information. The engineers who work on voice assistants, speech recognition, document processing, etc., use NLP technology. For the role of an NLP engineer, organizations expect a specialized degree in computational linguistics. They might also be willing to consider applicants with a qualification in computer science, mathematics, or statistics.

In addition to general statistical analysis and computational skills, an NLP engineer would need skills in semantic extraction techniques, data structures, modeling, n-grams, a bag of words, sentiment analysis, etc. Experience with Python, ElasticSearch, web development, etc., could be helpful.

The average salary of an NLP engineer is $78,000, going up to an average salary of over $100,000 with experience.

Which Industries Are Hiring AI Professionals?

There are over 15,000 jobs in AI listed on LinkedIn today. Organizations across a wide range of industries are hiring. The industry with the most number of open AI careers appears to be technology with companies like Apple, Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Adobe, IBM, Intel, etc. hiring for AI roles.

Closely following this are also consulting majors such as PWC, KPMG, Accenture, etc. Healthcare organizations are hiring more—GlaxoSmithKline has multiple open AI-related positions. Retail players like Walmart and Amazon and media companies like Warner and Bloomberg are also hiring.

What Skills Do You Need To Land an Entry-Level AI Position?

Not all AI positions are the same. As you see from the list above, different roles might need different skills/experiences. However, nearly all entry-level roles will expect:

• Graduate degree in computer science, mathematics, or statistics
• Familiarity with Python and SQL
• Knowledge of data analysis, processing, and visualization
• Understanding of cloud technologies
• Business acumen about the industry, market, competition, etc.

AI Jobs Hiring: Best Tips for Success

Securing a high-paying job in the AI industry requires more than just technical skills; it involves strategic planning and a proactive approach. Here are some best tips to help you navigate the AI job market and land your dream role:

1. Stay Updated: The AI field is constantly evolving, so it’s crucial to keep up with the latest trends, technologies, and research. Follow industry news, attend webinars, and join online forums to stay informed.
2. Build a Strong Portfolio: Showcase your skills and projects through a well-organized portfolio. Include real-world projects, open-source contributions, and any research you’ve conducted. This will demonstrate your practical experience and problem-solving abilities to potential employers.
3. Network Effectively: Networking is key in the AI industry. Attend industry conferences, join professional organizations, and connect with AI professionals on LinkedIn. Engaging with the community can lead to valuable opportunities and insights.
4. Tailor Your Resume: Customize your resume for each job application, highlighting the skills and experiences that are most relevant to the position. Use keywords from the job description to ensure your resume passes through applicant tracking systems.
5. Continuously Learn: Invest in your education by taking online courses, earning certifications, and attending workshops. Specializing in a niche area within AI, such as machine learning or NLP, can make you more attractive to employers.
6. Prepare for Interviews: Research common AI interview questions and practice your responses. Be ready to discuss your projects in detail and explain how you’ve applied AI concepts to solve real-world problems.
7. Showcase Soft Skills: Technical skills are crucial, but soft skills like communication, teamwork, and adaptability are also important. Demonstrate these skills during interviews and in your interactions with potential employers.
8. Leverage Internships: If you’re new to the field, consider internships or entry-level positions. These opportunities can provide valuable experience, help you build your network, and potentially lead to full-time offers.
9. Be Persistent: The AI job market can be competitive, so don’t get discouraged by rejections. Keep applying, learning, and improving your skills. Persistence and resilience are key to success in any career.
10. Seek Mentorship: Find a mentor who is experienced in the AI field. They can provide guidance, advice, and support as you navigate your career path. Mentorship can be a valuable resource for both personal and professional growth.

By following these tips and staying committed to your career development, you can increase your chances of landing a high-paying AI job and thriving in this dynamic and exciting field.

FAQs About Careers in AI

Are AI Jobs in High Demand?

The current Artificial intelligence (AI) job outlook is quite promising. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics expects computer science and information technology employment to grow 11% from 2019 to 2029. This will add about 531,200 new jobs in the industry, with a higher than average salary to draw candidates.

Can You Get Into AI With No Experience?

As a practical field, the defining factor of an AI professional is their ability to execute projects. This can only come from experience. So, you need to have hands-on experience to land a job in AI, even if not exactly corporate work experience. For instance, Springboard’s Data Science Career Track includes 14 real-world projects to get you comfortable with applying AI to business challenges.

Do You Need a Degree To Work in Artificial Intelligence?

Most job descriptions online will expect at least a bachelor’s degree. However, as we mentioned above, the talent gap is growing. Organizations can no longer reject employees without a college degree if they have demonstrable skills and experience in artificial intelligence.

Do You Need an Advanced Degree (Master’s Degree) to Work in AI?

You don’t necessarily need a Master’s Degree, but even entry level jobs may require a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or Information Technology, or any other engineering degree. When applying for entry level positions, take a closer look at the skills required. Do you really need a Master’s Degree or do you already have the right skills and knowledge to pursue the role? If you have the right technical skills, communication skills and problem-solving skills – with a portfolio to back you up – you can work in the field without studying further.

We strongly recommend that you check out our guide on how to take advantage of AI in today’s passive income economy.