Artificial Intelligence Salary: Your Guide to AI Pay in 2024

Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the popular emerging technologies in the world today. It is a fast-developing field that many employers are eager to implement in the real world. And, they’re willing to pay a hefty salary for those few professionals who can help them do it. 

In this article, you’ll learn more about how much you can expect to earn from a range of different AI-centric positions. You’ll also explore how different factors may impact your earning potential, learn some tips to increase your salary and find suggested courses that can help you start developing job-relevant skills today. 

Artificial intelligence jobs salary

Professionals working in artificial intelligence can expect to earn a higher-than-average salary for their in-demand skill set. While the precise amount that you’ll earn varies from one job to another, you can generally expect to earn more than the $46,310 that the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) pinned as the median annual salary in the United States as of May 2022 [1]. 

To give you a better idea of what you might earn, here’s the average base pay for various AI jobs, according to Glassdoor:  

• AI engineer - $127,986 [2]

• AI researcher - 108,932 [3]

• Machine learning engineer - $126,397 [4]

• Robotics engineer - $96,013 [5]

• Software engineer - $118,761 [6]

• Data scientist - $129,640 [7]

The precise amount that you will earn will likely vary based on common factors like your prior work experience and your geographic location. Below, we dive into these factors in greater detail. 

Note: All salary data taken from Glassdoor as of February 2024, unless otherwise stated. Salary does not include additional compensation, such as bonuses, tips, profit sharing, or commission.

Job outlook

Professionals with a strong command of AI skills are likely to be in demand over the coming years. According to the US BLS, the number of jobs for “computer and information research scientists” – a job category that contains many AI positions – is expected to grow by 23 percent between 2022 and 2032 [1]. That’s significantly higher than the overall job growth for all occupations in the country, which the US BLS puts at just 3 percent during the same period.

The global market size for artificial intelligence is projected to reach nearly two trillion dollars by 2030, or roughly 20 times its 2021 value of almost 100 billion [8]. These figures suggest that AI positions will be in high demand over the coming years. 

By experience 

As with most jobs, your experience level can have a significant impact on how much you earn. Typically, the more experience that you have in a position, the higher salary you command from employers.

Here’s what you can expect to earn from the aforementioned AI positions across numerous years, according to Glassdoor: 

By location 

Where you live and work can have a big impact on how much you can expect to earn as an AI professional. Common geographical factors impacting your salary include the cost of living where you work and the local job market, such as whether there is significant competition for your skill set among employers.

To help you get a better idea of the base pay you can expect to earn across the country, here’s the average salary for the aforementioned AI positions in five different US cities, according to Glassdoor: 

How to increase your salary as an AI professional 

Your earning potential isn’t set in stone. In fact, there are many ways that you can increase your salary as an AI professional. Here are some steps you might take to increase how much you take home over the course of your career. 

1. Build your skills. 

To stay competitive in the marketplace as an AI professional, you’ll want to make sure you have the most up-to-date knowledge of the field as possible. That means you’ll need to both build new skills and strengthen your already existing ones. Some ways you might hone your skill set include taking courses online or in person, connecting with knowledgeable peers in your network, and attending professional workshops. 

Read more: Machine Learning Skills: Your Guide to Getting Started

2. Get certified. 

Certifications demonstrate your commitment to the field and indicate your mastery of job-relevant skills. There are many different certifications you might consider gaining, such as IBM’s Applied AI Professional Certificate or USAII’s Certified Artificial Intelligence Scientist (CAIS), to demonstrate your abilities to potential employers. To learn more about the exact certifications or certificates that you might consider obtaining, reach out to others in your professional network. 

3. Consider a degree.

A degree can be a great way to showcase your knowledge of the field. In fact, some of the most competitive AI positions ask that applicants possess a PhD to qualify for the role. As a result, if you want to gain some of the highest-paying research jobs in the field, you should consider obtaining a doctoral degree in computer science, machine learning, electrical engineering, or a related field. 

Advance your AI skills

Ready to start advancing your AI skills? Consider taking a job-relevant professional certificate or specialization on Coursera. 

In IBM’s Applied AI Professional Certificate, you’ll build AI-powered solutions using IBM Watson AI services, APIs, and Python with minimal coding. Learn how to create chatbots, apply computer vision techniques using Python, and even develop custom image classification models today.