Artificial intelligence (AI) has taken the world by storm. Diverse industries, including health, technology, and education, have incorporated it into their systems to enhance their operations, competitiveness, and customer experiences.
As AI integration deepens, the demand for skilled AI professionals also increases. LinkedIn data shows a notable trend: job listings featuring AI or generative AI have doubled from July 2021 to July 2023, highlighting AI’s growing significance in the job market.
This article explains ten hot AI jobs that you must consider pursuing because of their high demand and a range of other benefits.
Data scientist
Expected average salary: $156,352 per year, according to Glassdoor
Data scientists extract digital data from different sources, such as databases and social media. They refine raw data to organise it and make it more understandable. Once done, they employ numerous techniques, including clustering and regression, to extract useful insights from this data.
They make data-driven future predictions, find hidden patterns, and resolve intricate problems.
Furthermore, they play an essential role in sharing their findings with other teams, contributing to the organisation’s informed decision-making processes and enhancing overall performance.
Data scientists possess a wide variety of skills, including programming, machine learning, statistical analysis, and data manipulation.
Software engineer
Expected average salary: $139,558 per year, according to Glassdoor
In the AI field, software engineers are responsible for designing, developing, testing, and maintaining software that facilitates AI applications.
First, they write codes to develop software according to the project objectives. Next, they design software systems and perform extensive testing to make the system error-free. They ensure the software is according to the user’s needs.
Once the software is deployed, they maintain it to keep it functional and secure throughout its lifespan. Software engineers also document their systems to help others understand their technical specifications.
Must-have skills for software engineers include programming, backend development, web development, software architecture, testing and debugging.
Data engineer
Expected average salary: $124,965 per year, according to Glassdoor
Data engineers play multiple roles in an organisation. Their key responsibility is to design, develop, and install data pipelines. In addition, they construct secure and well-maintained data storage systems.
Their expertise extends to creating Extract, Transform, Load (ETL) systems, ensuring the safe extraction of required data, its transformation for analytical purposes, and its seamless integration into storage systems.
Data engineers ensure data scientists and analysts always have access to processed data so they can use them whenever they want to draw beneficial insights.
If you want to pursue this career, you must learn programming languages, data modelling, database design, data integration, and data security-related skills.
AI research scientist
Expected average salary: $132,286 per year, according to Glassdoor
As the name indicates, AI research scientists conduct research in the AI field to develop and implement new AI technologies and applications.
They spend a lot of time reading publications to collect valuable data, stay abreast of dynamic shifts within the AI world, and draw meaningful conclusions. They develop prototypes, conduct experiments to test their AI-related hypothesis and develop algorithms.
Essential skills for AI research scientists include programming skills, mathematics, statistics, research methodology, experimentation, and machine learning.
Product manager
Expected average salary: $156,417 per year, according to Glassdoor
Product managers handle all the important stages of an AI-driven product’s or system’s lifecycle. They help define product strategy according to the customers’ needs, the organisations’ goals and the development team’s capabilities.
Once a product is launched in the market, they gather user feedback and may update products according to the changing user demands. They identify and remove risks associated with the product development, performance and success.
Product managers play leadership roles in an organisation. They collaborate with different teams to ensure all are on the same page. Additionally, they possess strong problem-solving and communication skills.
Machine learning engineer
Expected average salary: $151,527 per year, according to Glassdoor
Machine learning engineers (ML engineers) work in the AI field to design, build, and maintain programs and systems that can retrieve data and employ it in various tasks.
Their workflow begins with collecting and refining data sets to ensure their compatibility with machine-learning models. Next, they fine-tune these models by carefully selecting the most appropriate algorithms.
They assess the model’s performance, tweak its parameters and conduct rigorous testing to ensure it operates correctly. ML engineers integrate machine learning models into systems and regularly monitor them to address issues on time.
An ML engineer must be proficient in programming languages and have in-depth knowledge of machine learning algorithms and libraries.
Robotics engineer
Expected average salary: $117,370 per year, according to Glassdoor
Robotics engineers perform a wide range of tasks to create robots and robotic systems from scratch. They develop all the necessary elements of a robot, including its mechanical, electrical and software components.
They also write codes to control their functions and behaviour. They incorporate sensory systems into them to enable them to interact with their surroundings. They ensure that the built robot can navigate through different environments and avoid obstacles.
Robotics engineers use their AI knowledge to make robots extract data from different sources and apply it to solve specific challenges. They further engage in rigorous experimentation to assess the performance of robotic systems and refine algorithms as needed.
If you aspire to pursue this career path, ensure you have enough knowledge of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, programming and robot operating systems (ROS).
NLP engineer
Expected average salary: $152,578 per year, according to Glassdoor
Natural language processing engineers create systems that understand and generate natural language data or human language.
Their core responsibilities involve crafting algorithms that excel in a range of language-related tasks. This includes functions such as text summarization, language translation, and text classification based on various factors, including domain specificity.
NLP engineers are expected to possess a versatile skill set that shows their technical expertise, domain knowledge and problem-solving abilities. They work in different fields, including tech companies, AI research, and customer service.
AI quality assurance manager
Expected average salary: $117,156 per year, according to Glassdoor
AI quality assurance (QA) managers play a crucial role in evaluating AI systems, ensuring they not only meet the company’s quality objectives but also comply with ethical principles.
Their responsibilities begin with the creation of quality assurance systems aligned with industry standards. They then proceed to assess AI system performance through a variety of tests. They document their findings and share them with stakeholders and other teams to get their valuable input.
Companies seek AI quality assurance managers with a diverse skill set that includes programming, scripting, software testing, machine learning, and critical thinking.
Key factors driving AI job demand
The following factors contribute to the increased demand for AI professionals.
Advancement in technologies: Technology is evolving rapidly, which is creating new possibilities for people to integrate AI into systems and improve their overall capabilities and performance.
Data explosion: The relentless growth in internet usage results in a staggering production of 328.77 million terabytes of data per day. Industries require proficient tools to extract valuable insights from this vast data. It increases the need for AI professionals who can create, integrate, and maintain such tools.
Industry adoption: Diverse sectors, including healthcare, technology, education, and finance, are increasingly leveraging AI to gain a competitive edge. Consequently, they are seeking a larger pool of AI talent to manage tasks related to AI tools.
Innovation and research: Users’ demands evolve with time. Industries need experts to test and explore different algorithms and technologies in order to generate superior AI systems that meet users’ needs.
Funding and investment: Governments and companies are channelling more resources into the field of AI, further fueling the demand for skilled individuals in this rapidly expanding industry.
What should you do to become an AI professional?
These steps will guide you in pursuing a career in the AI field.
- First things first, get an AI-related degree that shows your expertise in the field and your ability to contribute to a company’s success. A bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, such as computer science or data science, is a minimum requirement.
- Next, seek out training and gain practical experience. It will allow you to test your skills and improve them over time.
- Once you get enough knowledge and learn the required skills, focus on building an impressive resume and portfolio.
- Participate in relevant conferences and workshops to connect with like-minded individuals in the industry.
- To find AI job opportunities, utilise search engines like Google and job posting websites such as Indeed, Glassdoor, and LinkedIn, all of which are free and effective tools.
- Prepare thoroughly for job interviews, ensuring that you arrive on time and present yourself professionally.
- Remember that the AI field is constantly evolving. Stay updated by continually acquiring new knowledge and skills.
Summing it up
AI professionals are in high demand across different industries. Hence, now is the ideal time to become a part of this field. Get a relevant degree, gain hands-on experience, and apply for your dream job.
Join the world of AI to bring revolution to industries, shape the future, and contribute to ground-breaking innovations.