According to PwC’s Global Artificial Intelligence Study, AI could contribute up to US$15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030, more than the current output of China and India combined. [1]. Organizations are turning to AI to enhance business decisions, increase efficiency, and ultimately increase profitability.
AI engineers help reimagine how machine learning (ML) algorithms, models, and tools are used to enhance products, services, and global systems. This type of job is in high demand and requires a lot of technical expertise, so you can easily earn a high salary.
In this article, you will learn about the income of an AI engineer. Here are tips to increase your salary, broken down by experience, industry, and location.
*All salary data and information as of December 2023
What is the average annual salary for an AI engineer?
According to Payscale, the median annual salary for an AI engineer who falls under the Artificial Intelligence Specialist category is ₹15,53,396. [2]. According to Glassdoor, the average salary for an AI engineer in India is ₹1,000,000 per year. [3].
Employment prospects for AI engineers
According to Statista, India had the second highest employment rate for AI-related jobs in the world from 2016 to 2020. [4]. According to Stanford University, India had the highest penetration rate of AI skills in the world from 2015 to 2022, so hiring for AI-related jobs should continue across the country. [5].
AI engineers typically work for companies and help them improve their products, software, operations, and delivery. They are employed in the technology, finance, healthcare, and consulting industries.
Several factors affect how much you earn as an AI engineer. Find out how experience, industry, and location affect your earning potential.
AI engineer salary by experience
One of the biggest factors that impacts salary is experience level. That’s natural. The more experience you have as an AI engineer, the more expertise you have and the more income you can expect to earn.
Here’s how experience affects AI engineer salaries, according to Payscale.
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Early career (1-4 years): ₹11,00,000 [2]
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Mid-career (5-9 years): ₹24,56,588 [2]
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Experienced (10-19 years): ₹25,00,000 [2]
A leadership role like Director or VP of ML or AI can increase your salary by tens of thousands of dollars. However, you can also focus on your expertise rather than managing your team. In that case, you can earn more by changing companies or proving your worth and negotiating a higher salary.
AI engineer salary by industry
Not all industries need AI engineers, but salaries for AI engineers can vary widely in industries where they are needed, such as technology, finance, healthcare, and retail. Salary ranges typically reflect the respective industry. For example, technology and financial companies generally have higher salaries, so AI engineers working in these industries may earn higher than average salaries.
AI engineer salary by location
Where you live also affects how much you earn as an AI engineer. Working for a company in a big city like Bangalore generally offers a higher salary. This is partly due to the high cost of living in these areas.
As companies continue to hire geographically dispersed workforces, including remote workers, employers may choose to offer location-based pay. However, this can be difficult because these salaries must also take into account competency and experience level, and location-based salaries may be considered unfair.
According to Glassdoor, as of June 2025, the following are the average annual base salaries for AI Engineers and similar roles in the following Indian metropolises:
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Bangalore: ₹12,10,934
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Pune: ₹9,30,830
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Mumbai: ₹11,42,889
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New Delhi: ₹13,08,158
Tips to earn more
Let’s say you’re an AI engineer who’s been working for several years. Here are some ways to increase your earning potential.
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Improve your technical skills. There is always more to learn in AI and machine learning. Earn more by maintaining your technical skills, maintaining significantly updated tools and systems, and expanding your repertoire of algorithms and modeling techniques. Digging deeper into a specific industry may also increase your salary.
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negotiation: One of the most common mistakes job seekers make is not negotiating or negotiating to maximize their earning potential. According to Forbes, 70% of managers expect negotiation when making a job offer, but don’t explicitly state that the job offer is flexible. [6]. If you choose not to negotiate, the pay gap may widen over time and you may not be able to reach your full earning potential.
Want to learn about jobs and salaries similar to AI Engineer? See a breakdown of June 2025 salaries based on Glassdoor data.
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Machine Learning Engineer: ₹10,00,000
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Software Engineer: ₹9,00,000
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Software developer: ₹7,00,000
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Data Engineer: ₹9,00,000
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Data Scientist: ₹9,00,000
Start learning today
Start a high-paying career as an AI engineer. Enroll in IBM’s AI Engineering Professional Certificate to learn how to use machine learning and deep learning techniques to deliver business insights from big data.
