Artificial intelligence (AI) engineer may sound intimidating, but don’t let the title scare you. Although it is an advanced software development job role, working as an AI engineer gives you a creative outlet while putting your analytics skills to the test. If that sounds interesting, check out software developer on the CompTIA Career Roadmap to see the early stages of your path towards becoming an AI engineer. If you like combining creativity and analytics to produce things like algorithms, then AI engineer could be your next move.
What is an AI engineer?
An AI engineer is an advanced software developer who creates intelligent algorithms capable of learning, analyzing and predicting future events. An AI engineer completes a variety of technical tasks throughout their workday.
Here are a few ways they support an organization:
- Research and test AI models, data sets and processes for effectiveness
- Design and implement AI-enabled applications, automation and end-to-end solutions
- Collaborate with developers, data scientists, business owners and others in identifying use cases for applying AI-enabled innovation
- Contribute to data governance, data security or ethical use policies
The main role of an AI engineer is to develop software capable of reasoning like the human brain.
How to become an AI engineer
While most AI engineer job postings seek candidates with a bachelor’s degree in information technology, computer engineering, statistics, or data science, a few list a high school degree, vocational training, or an associate’s degree in a related field. An AI engineer is an advanced software development job role, and employers will want to see evidence of your skills and experience as well.
Some critical skills an AI engineer should possess include:
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Communication
- Problem-solving
- Troubleshooting
- Research
- Creativity
Of course, AI engineers require some specialized technical skills and experience. A few of these skills include proficiency in:
- Artificial intelligence
- Software development
- Machine learning (ML)
- Software engineering
- Python
An AI engineer builds AI models using machine learning algorithms and deep learning neural networks. They must understand programming, software engineering and data science. Becoming an AI engineer could include time spent in job roles like software developer, data scientist, ML developer, ML engineer or robotics engineer. You’ll likely begin your career in a lower-level job and work toward more responsibility as your experience and expertise grow.
Once you’ve established that knowledge, you’ll be better positioned to level up. Several partner certifications will help you become an AI engineer.
The details
AI engineer salary range
According to Lightcast, the median advertised salary for an AI engineer in the United States as of 2022 is $106,220. This is 132% higher than the median national salary. However, many factors do influence wages, including location, job level, industry sector and employer size, specialty skills, years of experience, and more.
| 10th percentile |
25th percentile |
50th percentile |
75th percentile |
90th |
| $78,970 | $92,870 | $106,220 | $118,770 |
$129,540 |
AI engineer jobs
Lightcast shows nearly 55,000 job postings for AI engineer positions in the United States during the 12-month period ending October 2022. More than one-third of the postings were for work-from-home or hybrid positions.
This advanced role will largely fall under software development, one of the largest tech occupation categories, with an estimated base of 1.6 million employed U.S. workers in 2022. Nearly 1 in 3 of all types of the 5.4 million tech jobs in 2022 are for software developers. The need for software developers will grow, reaching nearly 2 million by 2032. The 10-year projected growth rate for software developers is 215% above the national rate.
According to Lightcast, employers listed more than 375,000 job postings in the United States seeking candidates with AI or machine learning skills. Some employers with multiple job postings include MITRE Corporation, Travelers, Lookout, Lockhead Martin Corporations, Deloitte and The Boeing Company.
Job titles related to AI engineer
- Software engineer
- DevOps engineer
- Quality assurance analyst
- Software developer
- Data scientist
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