We are living in a world where self-driving cars, interactive gaming that involves 3D scanning and facial recognition, talking to virtual assistants, or getting personalized shopping experience isn’t fascinating anymore. All these, and many other things, have become quite common in our daily life. Who do you think are the minds behind these technologically advanced gadgets and services? Well, such brilliancy is credited to the Artificial Intelligence or AI Engineers(Ingenieur). Today, AI Engineers are one of the most in-demand professionals across the world.
You are definitely wrong if you are assuming that AI engineers would be only required in the Information technology sector. If Gartner’s Talent Neuron (March 2020) data regarding AI trends are to be believed, the demand for AI talent has tripled between 2015 to 2019 in the IT sector. However, the number of AI job vacancies posted by the IT sector is still less than half of that emerging from other industrial sectors. The IT sector accounted for around 68,959 job opportunities in the field of AI, but the non-tech departments posted around 156,294 job vacancies at the same time. Such departments include banking and finance, sales, marketing, customer service, research and development. So, you would be witnessing a great career growth if you take an artificial intelligence online course and join the scarce AI talent.
This article lets you understand the roles and responsibilities of AI engineers and their salary prospects in various countries.
What is an AI Engineer?
The much-hyped AI Engineers are professionals who are responsible for building AI and machine learning models using various algorithms and automate different operations and business processes. Broadly speaking, artificial intelligence or AI is a field of computer science that focuses on making machines capable of mimicking the human brain and accomplishing such tasks that earlier required human intervention.
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Here are some of the responsibilities that AI engineers in every kind of organization handle:
- Use various tools and techniques to design and analyze data and develop AI systems.
- Develop machine learning algorithms, test, and then deploy them.
- Converting those models into application program interfaces (APIs) making them accessible to other applications.
- Contribute to designing, installation, testing, and maintaining software systems.
- Development and management of AI infrastructure.
Salary Prospects of AI Engineers
You are already aware of the demand for AI engineers and how scarce is the current AI talent in the job market. Companies across the world are willing to hire trained AI engineers but face difficulty in finding the right candidates. Moreover, AI is still in its initial stages, so there aren’t many experienced professionals in this field. As such, companies are ready to pay high salaries to those whose skills can be effectively utilized for AI-powered projects.
The salary figures for AI engineers in different countries mentioned below would give you a clear idea. (the salary information is taken from Payscale)
India – the average annual salary is INR 1,500,641
The United States – USD 122,127
The United Kingdom – £51,933
Australia – AU$111,493
Canada – C$89,807
While these are average annual salaries, AI engineers can earn even higher when they gain some work experience. Even the entry-level professionals in this field have better paychecks than traditional software developers.
The top job roles, apart from the AI Engineer, that command such high salaries in the field of AI include:
- Applied Machine Learning Engineer
- Data Scientist
- Robotic Scientist
- Data Analyst
- Analytics Manager
- Business Intelligence Developer
- AI Architect
Gaining the skills of an AI Engineer will position you to get placed in renowned companies such as:
- Microsoft
- Boeing
- Airbnb
- Amazon
- Raytheon
- JP Morgan Chase
If you are an aspiring AI engineer, you should have certain skills and domain knowledge to get started. For example, core math concepts like probability, calculus, linear algebra, and predictions, along with statistics are quite useful in the field of AI. Then, one should have a thorough understanding of programming languages like Java, C++, Python, or R. Familiarity with data science, big data, and machine learning concepts is also essential to be able to work on AI-related projects comfortably. Additionally, AI engineer aspirants also prefer gaining a sound knowledge of deep learning, neural nets, and business intelligence tools like Tableau or QlikView.
LinkedIn, a renowned platform for professional networking, came up with a survey on The Skills Companies Need Most in 2020, and Artificial Intelligence remained in the top five spots. Along with machine learning and natural language processing, AI is what helps enterprises to deliver relevant, personalized, and innovative solutions to the people across the world.
Start Your AI Journey
The growing dominance of AI and its ability to solve various kinds of business problems has compelled companies to adopt it and harness its true potential. No doubt the demand is high, but at the same time, the field is complex and not everyone can learn AI easily. For professionals seriously considering a career in AI, the best option is to dedicate their efforts in pursuing a full-fledged online training program. Conducted usually for a duration of six months, these AI courses help you understand the nuances of AI and how to apply the theoretical knowledge in an industrial environment. So, establish a successful career in AI by diving deep into the field today.
