As more companies implement AI in the workplace, the demand for professionals with extensive knowledge of AI and related technologies will continue to grow.
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 more human-like behavior. As a bonus, many AI jobs can be run remotely.
What is the job of AI?
Companies leverage AI to help automate certain tasks and improve results. A variety of industries and fields need AI experts, including:
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finance
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agriculture
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health care
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retail
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national security
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information technology
Some AI experts are working to implement technologies that automate repetitive and simple tasks. Other AI-based jobs are exploratory in nature. They combine machine learning, linguistics, psychology, and other fields to develop programs that can interact with people in surprisingly human ways.
read more: 6 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Jobs to Consider
Remote AI job types
Due to the nature of the technology, many AI jobs can be worked remotely. Check out some notable remote AI jobs as you start planning your career path.
1. Machine Learning Engineer
Median annual base salary: $123,465 [1]
Employment outlook (2023 to 2033): 26% [2]
requirements: Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology or Computer Science, certification in a core programming language.
Machine learning engineers use AI to help people solve a variety of problems. One such challenge is designing technologies that can eliminate the need for human input, for example, for simple data entry tasks.
As a Machine Learning Engineer, you’ll develop, test, and troubleshoot new AI-based technologies. You can fine-tune your work in response to client feedback and help your business build more efficient and profitable AI tools.
2. Data Scientist
Median annual base salary: $118,783 [3]
Employment outlook (2023 to 2033): Annual growth rate 36% [4]
requirements: Bachelor’s degree, possibly Master’s degree or Ph.D. in Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, or related field.
Data scientists study and analyze 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 improve a company’s productivity and revenue.
3. AI researchers
Median annual base salary: $102,196 [5]
Employment outlook (2023 to 2033): Annual growth rate 26% [2]
requirements: Master’s degree in Computer Science. In some cases, a bachelor’s degree in computer science is sufficient.
AI researchers are at the forefront of AI technology. In this position, you will work to develop more complex and useful AI systems by evaluating the value of existing algorithms and protocols and making recommendations for improvements.
It is not uncommon for AI researchers to work as academics at universities, sometimes collaborating with experts in other fields.
4. Natural language processing engineer
Median annual base salary: $123,470 [6]
Employment outlook (2023 to 2033): Annual growth rate 26% [2]
requirements: Bachelor’s degree or certificate in engineering, data science, or computer science. In some cases, a master’s degree or doctoral degree.
Natural language processing (NLP) engineers work with the AI side, which allows computers to understand and replicate human language.
NLP is the technology behind much of the generative AI already in use today, from ChatGPT and similar text-based chatbot models to Alexa, Siri, Cortana, and other voice response tools. As an NLP engineer, you’ll work to further refine AI’s ability to understand human language and make its responses more human-like.
5. Computer Vision Engineer
Median annual base salary: $125,920 [7]
Employment outlook (2023 to 2033): Annual growth rate 26% [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 AI side, which allows computers to take in visual input, understand it, and output images and videos in a meaningful way.
Well-known computer vision applications power self-driving cars, taking in information about the visual world and reacting in ways similar to humans, such as stopping at a traffic light.
6. AI Product Manager
Median annual base salary: $130,124 [8]
Employment outlook (2023 to 2033): Annual growth rate 17% [9]
requirements: Bachelor’s degree in computer or information science.
AI product managers oversee the strategy behind the rollout of AI models.
AI product management exists at the intersection of data science and marketing. As such, AI product managers need to understand the market value of an AI product, how best to deliver it to customers, everyone’s role in the development process, and how to suggest improvements along the marketing life cycle.
7. Robot Engineer
Median annual base salary: $113,537 [10]
Employment outlook (2023-2033): Annual growth rate 11% [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 create robots that can perform boring tasks for humans and make those robots smarter. Robots with AI capabilities can learn about their surroundings, interact with people in human-like ways, and operate autonomously without human supervision.
read more: A guide to a career in robotics
8. AI Ethics Consultant
Median annual base salary: $142,465 [12]
Employment outlook (2023 to 2033): faster than average [13]
requirements: Bachelor’s degree in computer science, philosophy, or social science. Both AI and ethics research is possible.
AI ethics consultants help companies develop fair and transparent AI usage protocols. This work will focus on examining the types of ethical dilemmas that companies may encounter regarding the use of AI and how they can be resolved.
9. Business Intelligence Analyst
Median annual base salary: $102,051 [14]
Employment outlook (2023-2033): Annual growth rate 11% [15]
requirements: Bachelor’s degree and many years of work experience.
Business intelligence analysts develop data visualization capabilities used in workplace platforms. These platforms store, organize, display, and even analyze business data that feeds into their algorithms.
10. AI Software Developer
Median annual base salary: $111,560 [16]
Employment outlook (2023 to 2033): Annual growth rate 17% [17]
requirements: Bachelor’s degree in Computer and Information Technology or related field.
AI software developers do the same things as computer developers, although they focus on AI. These IT professionals utilize computer languages such as Python, R, and Java to create software.
AI software developers don’t necessarily write code all the time. Rather, they explore data and build training architectures for AI models. Much of what they do is built on top of existing code networks.
Skills and qualifications needed for AI-related jobs
technical skills
To get a job in AI, you’ll probably need to know at least one computer language. Common computer languages include:
AI can write code itself, and in a fairly sophisticated way, but if you plan on working with AI to develop machine learning algorithms from scratch, you’ll need to know at least one computer language to do so.
Knowledge of mathematics and statistics
An AI professional will likely need to be familiar with linear algebra and calculus. Since AI models work probabilistically, they also require considerable knowledge of statistics.
Machine learning algorithms cannot be understood without knowledge of statistics. Concepts such as likelihood, expectation, variance, and Bayes’ theorem are applied elementally.
skills at work
Integrating AI into the workforce requires more than advanced technical capabilities. Workplace skills such as effective communication and cooperation are also required.
Programming human-like capabilities into machines requires programmers to have those capabilities. Many companies have found that although candidates have the technical skills needed for AI jobs, they often require essential intellectual and emotional abilities to succeed.
Remote AI jobs: Build in-demand skills with Coursera
Remote AI jobs abound in a variety of fields, including finance, information technology, and retail. Depending on your chosen field and specific occupation, landing exactly the remote AI job you want will require the right combination of formal education, experience, and general know-how. Enhance your credentials on Coursera by earning professional certifications through the IBM AI Developer Specialization on Coursera. Once you’re done, you’ll get a shareable professional certificate to include on your resume, resume, or LinkedIn profile.
