10 top AI jobs in 2025

Top AI job skills

Many programmers across all fields are self-taught, and the resources available online make it easy for novices to educate themselves on popular languages, like C++, Java and Python.

But the AI space has much higher demands. National University examined 15,000 job postings on Indeed to determine the requirements for AI jobs. It found 77% of AI job openings required that candidates have a master's degree, outpacing the 69% of postings that required at least a bachelor's degree. Another 18% required a doctoral degree, while only 8% of jobs posted were open to candidates with just a high school diploma.

The job openings predominantly required a moderate amount of experience, with midlevel positions accounting for almost half the job openings (44%), followed by senior-level (26%) and entry-level (12%) roles. There were no jobs that called for no prior experience.

And, while many types of IT jobs are remote work-friendly, AI jobs are not. Only 11% of job openings offered fully remote work, and another 15% allowed for a hybrid situation of on-premises work and remote work. The remaining 74% required on-site presence.

In short, being a successful AI developer requires more than just coding skills. Proficiency in a core AI developer language, such as Python, Java or R, along with emerging languages, such as Julia or Scala, is essential. That alone won't land you a job, however.

According to ZipRecruiter, programming is just one of the following five top required skills for AI programming jobs:

• Communication skills.
• Knowledge and experience with Python specifically.
• Digital marketing goals and strategies.
• Effective collaboration with others.
• Analytical skills.

AI jobs demand critical thinking skills on the part of developers to solve problems and analyze user input. The same practices apply to code. Having strong mathematical skills can help people develop advanced algorithms for programs.

AI is also unique because it requires some knowledge of psychology because AI simulates human behavior. To create AI, people need to understand how humans think and how they might behave in different situations.

Finally, with an emphasis on AI security, privacy and data integrity, individuals need to know the best practices behind security and ethics.

Some industries are embracing AI faster than others. These include the following:

• Technology. Tech firms of all types are adding AI to their products to enhance their use and make them simpler and more user-friendly. Hyperscalers, such as Google, Amazon and Microsoft, are all actively hiring AI specialists to build services.
• Finance. The finance industry is making broad use of AI with simple tasks, such as automation, and more advanced uses, including improving risk management and making better investment recommendations and decisions.
• Healthcare. The healthcare industry is also rapidly embracing AI at all levels. On the low end, AI is being used for automation to avoid human error and for tasks such as billing and record management. On the high end, AI is being widely touted for early detection of serious illnesses, such as cancer, because AI can spot signs that humans might miss.
• Retail. The retail industry is making wide use of AI for operational efficiency. AI can be used for areas such as inventory management, loss prevention, trend spotting, more personal shopping experiences and fraud prevention by finding suspicious spending patterns or transactions.
• Manufacturing. The manufacturing industry is embracing AI for operational efficiency. AI can provide early detection of potential equipment failure and help machinery run efficiently.
• Cybersecurity. The cybersecurity market is embracing AI to monitor threats around the clock and to avoid human error. AI applications can be programmed to detect unusual activity quickly for swift action.

10 top AI jobs

AI jobs are changing at a fast pace, just like technology. In 2024 and heading into 2025, specialists are more sought after than generalists. Deep knowledge of one aspect of AI is more valuable than shallow knowledge across many areas.

Here are some of the top AI jobs to check out. Salaries were derived from job postings on Indeed, LinkedIn or Glassdoor.

1. AI product manager

An AI product manager is similar to other product managers. Both jobs act as team leaders to develop and launch a product. In this case, it is an AI product, but it's not much different from any other product in terms of leading teams, scheduling and meeting milestones.

The technological demands of this job are a little higher than for most product manager positions. AI product managers need to know what goes into making an AI application, including the hardware, programming languages, data sets and algorithms, so that they can make it available to their team. Creating an AI app is not the same as creating a web app. There are differences in the structure of the app and the development process.

Expected salary: $112,841-$139,861 annually.

2. AI research scientist

AI research scientists are computer scientists who study and develop new AI algorithms and techniques. They develop and test new AI models, collaborate with other researchers, publish research papers and speak at conferences. Programming is only a small portion of what a research scientist does.

The tech industry is extremely open to self-taught and non-formally trained programmers, but there is an exception when it comes to AI research scientists. They need to have a strong understanding of computer science, mathematics and statistics. Typically, they need graduate degrees.

Expected salary: $136,000-$225,000 annually.

3. AI ethics officer

As stated earlier, ethical use of data used in generating models is going to become a foremost concern in 2025. Dedicated specialists are needed to ensure responsible development and deployment of AI. Companies might also look to add an AI ethics committee made up of employees with various experiences and specialties, including lawyers, engineers, ethicists, public representatives and business strategists.

An AI ethics specialist helps develop ethical guidelines and policies for AI projects and complete ethical reviews of these projects. They might report any findings to the AI ethics committee. Skills needed for this position include critical thinking, effective communication and familiarity with AI frameworks and regulations.

Expected salary: $120,000-$180,000 annually.

4. Cybersecurity analyst with AI expertise

AI has found a home in cybersecurity, particularly in intrusion detection. However, threat actors also use AI. This is a field where specialists are needed who are both fluent in cybersecurity and in the skill sets to use AI to combat issues such as ransomware and other intrusions.

Expected salary: $120,000-$200,000 annually.

5. Computer vision engineer

A computer vision engineer is a developer who specializes in writing programs that utilize visual input sensors, algorithms and systems. These systems, such as self-driving and self-parking cars and facial recognition, see the world around them and act accordingly.

Computer vision engineers use languages such as C++ and Python, along with visual sensors, such as Mobileye from Intel. Examples of use cases include object detection, image segmentation, facial recognition, gesture recognition and scenery understanding.

Expected salary: $125,000-$226,000 annually.

6. Data scientist

A data scientist is a technology professional who collects, analyzes and interprets data to solve problems and drive decision-making within the organization. They are not necessarily programmers, although many do write their own applications. Mostly, they use data mining, big data and analytical tools.

Their use of business insights derived from data enables businesses to improve sales and operations; make better decisions; and develop new products, services and policies. They use predictive modeling to forecast future events, such as customer churn, and data visualization to display research results visually. Some also use machine learning to build models to automate these tasks.

Expected salary: $110,000-$170,000 annually.

7. Smart home designer

With smart home technologies going mainstream, there will be many opportunities for smart home designers. However, this requires more than your average HGTV fixer-upper host skills. A smart home designer specializes in planning, designing and implementing technology solutions that make the home more intelligent, connected and automated. They must understand client needs, which vary from one client to the next; home layout and design; integration of technology into a home; use of automation; networking; and energy efficiency.

Expected salary: $70,000-$120,000 annually.

8. AI customer experience specialist

An AI customer experience specialist is focused on enhancing customer interactions with AI applications and tools. If you have ever felt the frustration of navigating a phone system -- "Press one for English" -- that frustration can be magnified by a poorly designed AI interface, like a chatbot. Specialists in the customer experience space implement and manage AI-driven solutions to improve the overall customer experience.

Expected salary: $70,000-$120,000 annually.

9. Robotics engineer

A robotics engineer is a developer who designs, develops and tests software for running and operating robots. Robotics has advanced significantly in recent years. Examples range from automated home cleaners to precision cancer surgery equipment. Robotics engineers might also use AI and machine learning to boost a robotic system's performance.

As a result, robotics engineers are typically designing software that receives little to no human input but instead relies on sensory input. Therefore, a robotics engineer needs to debug the software and the hardware to make sure everything is functioning as it should.

Robotics engineers typically have degrees in engineering, such as electrical, electronic or mechanical engineering.

Expected salary: $90,000-$150,000 annually.

10. AI for healthcare specialist

If ever there was an industry that needed a bridge between the technological side and the professional side, it is healthcare. Technology can help doctors and patients alike in many ways, but it is also one of the most sensitive fields when it comes to data privacy.

AI offers several opportunities for helping the medical profession, such as diagnosing diseases and identifying the best treatment plans for patients with critical medical decisions. Another example of AI in healthcare is the AI-powered robotics in the operating room that assist with surgery.

AI jobs in healthcare require a deep understanding of medical conditions and terminology as much as they require AI expertise.

Expected salary: $150,000-$250,000 annually.

Andy Patrizio is a technology journalist with almost 30 years' experience covering Silicon Valley who has worked for a variety of publications -- on staff or as a freelancer -- including Network World, InfoWorld, Business Insider, Ars Technica and InformationWeek.