Artificial intelligence has created a lot of business opportunities for employers and employees alike in 2023.
The technology has allowed businesses to streamline basic operations while searching for individuals that can wrangle and rein in AI to work more efficiently towards their aspirational goals.
As a result, AI jobs have become quite lucrative, and if you're looking to get started with one as soon as possible, we'll tell you what you need.
High Paying AI Jobs in 2023
1. Machine Learning Engineer
If you know anything about artificial intelligence, you know that machine learning is essentially the way in which these systems learn. They use data and algorithms to gain insights and learn as much like a human as possible. At least, that's the goal.
Subsequently, engineers that are well-versed in machine learning are a highly sought-after role at many AI companies, and as a result, this role can pay quite handsomely, if you have the right skills for gig.
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Ideal skills you'll need: Software engineering, data analysis, machine learning model development and implementation.
Average salary: $121,000/year
2. Data scientist
You can't have artificial intelligence without a whole bunch of data, as the technology runs on heaps and heaps information. That's where data scientists come in handy.
Also known as big data engineers, these professionals use everything in their digital toolbox to collect, analyze, and comprehend massive sets of data.
Ideal skills you'll need: The ability to see trends and patterns in large data sets, programming knowledge, statistical analysis.
Average salary: $144,000 per year
3. Natural Language Processing Engineer
As you can imagine, a lot of artificial intelligence is based on how we talk, which means it needs to understand human languages.
That's why natural language processing (NLP) engineers are so helpful. They provide businesses with all the spoken and written language that an AI model might need to understand for everything from voice recognition to virtual assistant commands.
Ideal skills you'll need: Computational linguistics, semantic extraction, computer science.
Average salary: $112,000/year
4. Computer Vision Engineer
In the same way AI models needs to be able to understand what it hears and reads, they also need to be able to understand what they can see. Computer vision engineers can help here, as they are experts when it comes to visual data.
Computer vision engineers help AI models to understand everything from images to videos, allowing them to unlock a lot of potential for these kinds of businesses. As a result, they're one of the highest paid AI jobs on the list.
Ideal skills you'll need: Computational linguistics, semantic extraction, computer science.
Average salary: $156,000/year
5. AI Consultant
If you feel like you have a general knowledge about AI that could be beneficial to a company trying to get started with the technology, then more power to you!
AI consultants can help businesses roll out AI-powered strategies, implement AI models to glean valuable insights, or just find new ways to use AI to improve your bottom line. They're the classic jack-of-all-trades of top paying AI jobs, and the salary fits that kind of broad knowledge role.
Ideal skills you'll need: Breadth of knowledge about AI as a whole, product development and deployment experience, works well with others.
Average salary: $126,000/year
Qualifications You'll Need for an AI Career
The salaries associated with AI careers might be very appealing, but before you start planning how you're going to spend your newfound fortune, slow down. Most AI careers require a degree of some kind.
You'll find that while some entry-level AI roles have a lower barrier to entry, the ones offering big bucks will require a degree related to computer science, or mathematics.
High profile AI jobs will not only require a degree (and ideally a masters, at that), but also a certain number of years in the field. However, taking an entry-level job in AI will let you gain precious experience, but also build your skills as you go.
Many employers will also be looking for additional flair to a candidates resume, such as attending relevant boot camps, and qualifications from supplementary AI courses.
Three Ways to Start Your AI Career
AI is an exciting and rapidly developing field, and there's no doubt that it will explode over the next few years. There is also the opportunity to earn some serious money in the industry, too.
It might seem a little daunting knowing where to start, but here are some suggestions to set you on the right path:
Become the AI expert where you work
As AI is still a very new industry, many companies are scrambling to play catch-up, and that could well include the company you currently work for. You might think this would be a stopper to your AI career, but actually, it presents an excellent opportunity.
Start experimenting with AI in your role – we can help you with some excellent time-saving prompts. When you've got results and are confident, show your manager what you've done, and offer to share your findings with other teams. You'll soon be recognized as the go-to person for AI at your company, which could lead to you having AI courses paid-for, or even being given a new AI role.
Upskill yourself in your spare time
You might think that AI is expensive to study, but in actual fact, there are a huge amount of free AI courses and tools available that you can take advantage of. Many courses are split up into modules, and you can study at your own pace – either during lunch break or in the evenings.
With courses from the likes of Harvard, Google and Microsoft, all available for free, you can pick up the essential skills you need in no time at all.
Play with the AI tools
When it comes to learning, there is no better way than by actually getting hands-on, and many of the big name AI tools, such as ChatGPT and Bard, offer free versions. Get stuck in, have a play around with them and see what they are capable of.
Consider setting yourself a challenge and seeing if you can use AI to help. It could be something as simple as setting up a daily schedule, to coding an app. The more you use these tools, the better you'll become, and soon you'll be capable of doing anything you set your mind to.
To get you started, we've listed four essential ChatGPT skills you can learn in five minutes.
If you're looking for a job that doesn't have anything to do with AI, we don't blame you! Fortunately, we've got a whole bunch of guides that can help you find a job that lets you work from home or that offers a 4-day work week.
