Businesses leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to perform a variety of tasks: AI can create content, write code, and even power advanced automated machines that learn and improve in remarkably human-like ways. Learn more below.
As more businesses introduce AI into the workplace, professionals with extensive knowledge of AI and related technologies will continue to be in high demand.
AI professionals are responsible for developing innovative, productive, and efficient new ways to create content, drive marketing, write code, power chatbots, and even teach robots to act more human. As a bonus, you can perform many AI jobs remotely.
Businesses utilize AI to help automate and improve the outcomes of certain tasks. Various industries and sectors need AI professionals, including:
Finance
Agriculture
Health care
Retail
National security
Information technology
Some AI professionals work toward implementing technology to automate away repetitive, menial tasks. Other AI-based jobs are more exploratory in nature; they combine machine learning, linguistics, psychology, and other fields to develop programs capable of interacting with people in remarkably human-like ways.
Due to the nature of the technology, you can work many AI jobs remotely. Check out some remote AI jobs to look out for as you begin planning your career path.
Median annual base salary: $123,465 [1]
Job outlook (2023 through 2033): 26 percent [2]
Requirements: Bachelor’s degree in information technology or computer science, certifications in core programming languages.
Machine learning engineers leverage AI to help solve various problems people face. One such problem is designing technology that can eliminate the need for human input—on menial data entry tasks, for example.
As a machine learning engineer, you will develop, test, and troubleshoot new AI-based technologies. You’ll fine-tune your work as clients offer feedback, helping you build the kind of AI tools that make businesses more efficient and profitable.
Median annual base salary: $118,783 [3]
Job outlook (2023 through 2033): 36 percent annual growth [4]
Requirements: Bachelor’s degree in mathematics, statistics, computer science, or related field, sometimes master’s or doctorate.
Data scientists research and analyze the data that goes into machine learning programs. Their goal is to find patterns and use them to create data-driven solutions.
Data scientists help develop business strategies, create predictive data models, and analyze new data to gain insights that can boost company productivity and revenue.
Median annual base salary: $102,196 [5]
Job outlook (2023 through 2033): 26 percent annual growth [2]
Requirements: Master’s degree in computer science; in some cases, a bachelor’s degree in computer science is sufficient.
AI research scientists are at the forefront of AI technology. In this position, you work to develop more complex and useful AI systems by evaluating the worth of existing algorithms and protocols and making suggestions for improvement.
It’s not uncommon for AI research scientists to work as academics in universities, where you may sometimes work with experts in other disciplines.
Median annual base salary: $123,470 [6]
Job outlook (2023 through 2033): 26 percent annual growth [2]
Requirements: Bachelor’s degree or certificate in engineering, data science, or computer science; master’s or doctorate in some cases.
Natural language processing (NLP) engineers work with the side of AI that allows computers to understand and replicate human language.
NLP is the technology behind much of the generative AI you may already use today, from ChatGPT and similar text-based chatbot models to Alexa, Siri, Cortana, and other voice-responsive tools. As an NLP engineer, you’ll work to make AI more sophisticated in its ability to understand human language and ever more human-like in its responses.
Median annual base salary: $125,920 [7]
Job outlook (2023 through 2033): 26 percent annual growth [2]
Requirements: Bachelor’s degree in computer science or information technology; computer language skills and experience with deep learning libraries.
Computer vision engineers work with the side of AI that allows computers to take in visual input, make sense of it, and output images and videos in a way that makes sense.
A well-known computer vision application is what’s in self-driving cars, which take in information about the visual world and react to it like a human being would—for example, by stopping at a stop light.
Median annual base salary: $130,124 [8]
Job outlook (2023 through 2033): 17 percent annual growth [9]
Requirements: Bachelor’s degree in computer or information science.
AI product managers oversee the strategies behind AI model rollouts.
AI product management exists where data science and marketing intersect. As such, an AI product manager must understand their AI product's market value, how best to get it to customers, what everyone’s role in the development process is, and how to suggest improvements along the marketing life cycle.
Median annual base salary: $113,537 [10]
Job outlook (2023 through 2033): 11 percent annual growth [11]
Requirements: Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or mechanical engineering technology.
Robotics engineers work at the intersection of mechanical engineering and machine learning to create machines that can learn and adapt to human communication.
Your goal as a modern robotics engineer is to make robots capable of performing tedious tasks for people and to make these robots smarter. Robots with AI capabilities can learn about their environment, interact with people in a human-like way, and work autonomously without human oversight.
Median annual base salary: $142,465 [12]
Job outlook (2023 through 2033): Faster than average [13]
Requirements: Bachelor’s degree in computer science, philosophy, or social sciences; possible study in both AI and Ethics.
AI ethics consultants help businesses develop fair and transparent AI use protocols. In this job, you’ll focus on considering the kind of ethical dilemmas businesses could run into concerning AI use and how to solve them.
Median annual base salary: $102,051 [14]
Job outlook (2023 through 2033): 11 percent annual growth [15]
Requirements: Bachelor’s degree and years of work-related experience.
Business intelligence analysts develop the data visualization capabilities used in workplace platforms. These platforms store, arrange, display, and even analyze business data as it is input into the algorithm.
Median annual base salary: $111,560 [16]
Job outlook (2023 through 2033): 17 percent annual growth [17]
Requirements: Bachelor’s degree in computer and information technology or related field.
AI software developers do what computer developers do, albeit focusing on AI. These IT professionals create software utilizing computer languages such as Python, R, and Java.
AI software developers don’t necessarily write code all the time. Rather, they examine data and build training architectures for AI models; much of what they do is built on existing code networks.
You’ll likely need to know at least one computer language to qualify for an AI job. Common computer languages include:
Python
C++
MATLAB
R
Java
While AI can write code itself—and in a fairly sophisticated way—if you plan to work an AI job that develops machine learning algorithms from the ground up, you’ll need to know at least one computer language to do so.
AI professionals will likely need to be conversant with linear algebra and calculus. Since AI models work probabilistically, you’ll also need to know a fair bit about statistics.
Machine learning algorithms are unintelligible without a background in statistics. Concepts such as likelihood, expectation, variance, and Bayes’ theorem apply in an elemental way.
Integrating AI into the workforce involves more than just advanced technical abilities. It also involves workplace skills like effective communication and cooperation.
Programming human-like features into machines requires the programmer to possess those features. Unfortunately, many companies find that even those with the technical abilities necessary to work AI jobs lack those more elemental intellectual and emotional skills.
Remote AI jobs abound in fields as diverse as finance, information technology, and retail.
Depending on the field and specific occupation you choose, you will need the right combination of formal education, experience, and general know-how to land exactly the remote AI job you want. Enhance your qualifications on Coursera by earning a Professional Certificate through the IBM AI Developer specialization on Coursera.
Glassdoor. “How much does a Machine Learning Engineer make?, https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/machine-learning-engineer-salary-SRCH_KO0,25.htm.” Accessed February 24, 2025.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Occupational Outlook Handbook: Computer and Information Research Scientists, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/computer-and-information-research-scientists.htm. Accessed February 24, 2025.
Glassdoor. “How much does a Data Scientist make?, https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/united-states-data-scientist-salary-SRCH_IL.0,13_IN1_KO14,28.htm.” Accessed February 24, 2025.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Occupational Outlook Handbook: Data Scientists, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/math/data-scientists.htm. Accessed February 24, 2025.
Glassdoor. “How much does a Research Scientist AI make?, https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/research-scientist-ai-salary-SRCH_KO0,21.htm.” Accessed February 24, 2025.
Glassdoor. “How much does an Nlp engineer make?, https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/nlp-engineer-salary-SRCH_KO0,12.htm.” Accessed February 24, 2025.
Glassdoor. “How much does a Computer Vision Engineer make?, https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/computer-vision-engineer-salary-SRCH_KO0,24.htm.” Accessed February 24, 2025.
Glassdoor. “How much does a Data and AI Product Manager make?, https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/united-states-data-and-ai-product-manager-salary-SRCH_IL.0,13_KO14,41.htm.” Accessed February 24, 2025.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Occupational Outlook Handbook: Computer and Information Systems Managers, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/computer-and-information-systems-managers.htm.” Accessed February 24, 2025.
Glassdoor. “How much does a Robotics Engineer make?, https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/united-states-robotics-engineer-salary-SRCH_IL.0,13_IN1_KO14,31.htm.” Accessed February 24, 2025.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Occupational Outlook Handbook: Mechanical Engineers, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/mechanical-engineers.htm.” Accessed February 24, 2025.
Glassdoor. “How much does an Ai Consultant make?, https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/ai-consultant-salary-SRCH_KO0,13.htm.” Accessed February 24, 2025.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Occupational Outlook Handbook: Computer and Information Technology Occupations, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/.” Accessed February 24, 2025.
Glassdoor. “How much does a Business Intelligence Analyst make?, https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/business-intelligence-analyst-salary-SRCH_KO0,29.htm.” Accessed February 24, 2025.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Occupational Outlook Handbook: Software Developers, Quality Assurance Analysts, and Testers, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/software-developers.htm.” Accessed February 24, 2025.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Occupational Outlook Handbook: Software Developers, Quality Assurance Analysts, and Testers, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/software-developers.htm.” Accessed February 24, 2025.
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