What do you think of hearing the words “artificial intelligence” (AI)? Autonomous cars? Human-like robots? Why not have robots as pets? Even though the word “AI” might make you think of the future, we already use AI-based innovations every day. Think about chatbots and online travel agents.
And the AI space will only remain to increase. The global market for AI is expected to reach $641.3 billion in the next six years. What’s good? This means that AI Engineers will have more and more job opportunities in many different fields. Engineers in artificial intelligence (AI) can work on a wide range of projects, such as mapping diseases, gambling, cybersecurity, translation, and linguistics.
What’s better? AI Engineers are often some of the best-paid engineers because they work with some of the most cutting-edge technology and have a lot of responsibility. Of course, many things affect these salaries. Here’s a closer look at the things that affect the salary of an AI Engineer.
What affects the salary of an AI Engineer?
According to new data from ZipRecruiter, an AI Engineer in the United States makes an average of $164,769 annually. Most of the salaries they looked at were between $142,500 (the 25th percentile) and $173,000. (75th percentile). The lowest salaries were $90,000 annually, and the highest was $304,500. This range is huge—it costs more than $200,000! How come? How much you can make as an AI Engineer depends on where you live, your skills, how long you’ve been working, and who you work for.
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AI Engineer salary Location-wise
Professionals in almost every field have much more freedom regarding where they live and what jobs they can apply for now that they can work from home. And because AI engineering is a field that lends itself well to working from home, you’ll likely be able to do the same.
Even if you work from home, your salary can still be affected by where you live. Generally, the average salaries of professionals in big cities are higher than those in small towns. However, ZipRecruiter says that AI Engineers in Lakes, Alaska, which has a population of 10,206, make the most, with an average salary of $197,897 per year.
After Lakes, San Francisco emerges at $195,425 per year, and Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. are also in the top 10 cities in the U.S. where AI Engineer jobs pay the most. AI Engineers in Bridgeport, Connecticut, earn an average of $185,610 per year, making it the tenth highest-paying city in the U.S.
North Carolina and Missouri are the two states in the United States where AI Engineers make the least money, with average annual salaries of $120,364 and $129,278.
AI Engineer Job – Education & skills
AI is a very innovative field, and many of its ideas and work come from academic research. Because of this, you have a degree in a related field is likely to affect not only your pay scale but also your chances of getting a job in AI. But it’s not impossible to get a job in AI if you don’t have a college degree or don’t plan to get one, especially since tech companies are dropping degree requirements. Remember that it might take longer to find the right fit.
In addition to pursuing a formal degree, you can also consider taking online classes and engaging in professional development to increase your compensation. Both options are great if you want to learn how to use a new tool or improve your skills, which could give you more chances to work on different projects and earn more money.
Experience
No issue what field you operate in, one of the most important things that affect your salary is how long you’ve been working in that field and how long you’ve been working in general. In general, your salary goes up with more years of experience.
Glassdoor says that AI engineers with 0–1 year of experience make a median annual salary of $118,344. After years of operating in the field and 4-6 years of experience, the median salary goes up to $126,669. And in the long run, if you’ve been working for 15 years or more, you’ll get paid $150,672 per year.
Field and employer
Since businesses in many different fields are starting to use AI technology, you’ll probably be able to choose a field to work in that fits your interests, skills, and salary needs. When deciding where to look for a job, one thing to remember is that some fields are investing more in AI than others. This can affect your salary.
AI is used extensively in the financial, healthcare, and life sciences industries. CVS Health, Pfizer, and Holdings Inc., as well as many other large U.S. and international banks, are among the top companies in these industries that are hiring. But AI is also growing in retail, sports, and manufacturing, where companies like McDonald’s, Meta, the NFL, and John Deere are investing in it.
Think about the following jobs if you’re an AI engineer:
If you require to work in AI but can’t find a job called “AI Engineer,” don’t let that stop you. You still have a few other options. You can think about several jobs that are very similar to each other. One of these is a Machine Learning Engineer.
AI includes machine learning so that you may use AI in your work as a Machine Learning Engineer. By reading our post on the topic, learn more about what a Machine Learning Engineer does, and then find out how much money you can make in this job. Data science is another thing to think about. Data Scientists are hired by businesses to help them figure out how their AI products are doing on the market and make decisions based on data. Even though you might not be able to help build the AI technology from the start, you can still be a part of the project as a Data Scientist. Examine the responsibilities of a Data Scientist as well as their salary.