The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) has driven innovation in numerous industries and sectors across the world. This has also created a host of work opportunities for developers and scientists. From face scanning to automated chatbots, the applications for AI are limitless. But there is a notable lack of experts who can maximize the opportunities AI is presenting the world. A report by Montreal based independent lab Element AI suggests that less than 10,000 people currently have the necessary skills to tackle serious AI research. This is why companies are putting a premium on talent that understands AI. It was estimated that specialists who work in the AI industry take home $300,000 to $500,000 a year on average. The opportunity for growth in this maturing industry is staggering. Aside from the pay, companies are investing heavily in AI platforms and applications—vetting for the stability and continuous expansion of the industry. It is estimated that the AI industry will be worth $60 billion by 2025. That said, here are the 5 best jobs you can get in the field of AI:
ML engineer
Machine learning (ML) engineers are at the center of every AI project. Not only should they be capable of handling all the necessary programming languages, they must also understand the underlying math and logic behind ML applications in order to further develop it. Advanced statistics and linear algebra are at the heart of machine learning and artificial intelligence. That’s why understanding and crafting AI applications requires an extensive knowledge and understanding of statistics. As one of the top paying jobs on this list, ML engineers are currently in huge demand as AI companies across the world look to hire them. Top Skills Multiple Programming languages Hadoop Statistics and advanced mathematics Neural networks Natural Language Processing
Business Intelligence Developer
Business intelligence developers are needed when business IT solutions are in place. They are experts in deploying and implementing AI systems in an enterprise environment. Online analytical processes and relational databases are just some functionalities BI developers build into BI software. As they are often designated to liaison between board members and developers, BI developers are expected to be good at communicating AI-driven results. Top Skills SQL Relational Database Basic Programming Visualization
Computer Vision Engineer
Image and video processing is one of the most innovative applications of AI and ML. Computer vision engineers program, plan, and develop how ML algorithms can extract, analyze, and understand information from images. As this requires them to understand how to create complex algorithms, computer vision engineers are often required to have skills on signal processing. With AI still in its infancy when it comes to video processing this will be an industry that will expand very quickly. Top Skills Advanced mathematics Signals processing C++, C#, .NET languages Deep learning technologies
Data scientist
One area of AI and ML that is growing rapidly is data science. Most experts in this industry have developed their knowledge using outside sources in order to advance in the industry. Tech Republic reports that 32% of data scientists started learning ML from the Massive Open Online Course. Data science has been named this year’s most promising job by business connection platform LinkedIn—with a 56% job posting increase. As AI and ML become more widespread, this number will continue to rise. With data-driven innovation at the helm of every industry it is no surprise that more people are looking to expand their knowledge. In the descriptions of their courses on the subject, online learning portal Udemy lists a wide range of growth opportunities in data science. This includes analyzing markets, big data mining, and machine learning. It also shows how encompassing data science is. Those who are able to develop a detailed knowledge on the different areas of data science and how they can apply it to AI will be in high demand across all industries. Top skills: Machine learning Python, R SQL Hadoop
AI Ethicist
AI ethicists have the responsibility of keeping AI/ML in line with the standards and values of the company as well as current regulatory policies. Data Driven Investor cites a KPMG report which points to AI ethicists as one of the top 5 essential AI hires companies need to succeed. Having in-house AI ethicists removes the barrier of opacity, which is often a common criticism for AI platforms. For AI ethicists to be effective, they must build public trust into the intelligent products by placing protocols for accountability and policy limitations. Top Skills Programming Languages Legal and industry policy expertise Ethics Analytics and cognitive expertise Communications
