Earnings for AI specialists vary by job title, level of experience and education, geographic location, and other factors.

Salaries for computer and information research scientists (a category that includes AI specialists) ranged from $69,230 to $183,820 or more in May 2018, according to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). They had mean annual earnings of $118,370. Average salaries for computer and information research scientists are much higher than the average ($51,960) for all workers in the United States.

Machine-learning engineers earned average salaries of $114,121 in 2020, according to GlassDoor.com. Ten percent of engineers earned $78,000, and 10 percent earned $150,000 or more.

Data scientists with artificial intelligence skills earned average salaries of $114,368 in 2020, according to PayScale.com. Earnings ranged from $87,000 to $156,000 or more.

Artificial intelligence researchers earn even higher salaries. The New York Times (NYT) reports that top AI researchers in research labs at tech companies earn $1 million or more. “Salaries for top AI researchers have skyrocketed because there are not many people who understand the technology and thousands of companies want to work with it,” according to the NYT.

Benefits for AI specialists depend on the employer; however, they usually include such items as health and dental insurance, retirement or 401(k) plans, and paid vacation days. Self-employed AI professionals must provide their own benefits.

Artificial Intelligence Specialists

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