An Artificial Intelligence (AI) specialist is a person involved in the development and support of digital intelligent systems. This new but highly demanded and promising future profession is attracting the attention of current IT professionals, as well as those planning to transition into the IT industry from other fields. Let’s find out together how much an AI specialist earns, what their responsibilities include, and how to enter this profession.
What Are the Responsibilities of an AI Specialist?
The exact list of tasks for an AI developer is determined by their place of employment. The general list of responsibilities for a specialist includes:
- Developing AI applications and prototypes;
- Writing and testing software code;
- Creating automatic systems based on AI;
- Developing the architecture of information systems;
- Machine learning of neural networks;
- Working with large data sets and databases;
- Analytics of robotic processes and systems;
- Developing algorithms for machine learning.
Most job openings require applicants to have at least intermediate proficiency in programming languages, as well as understanding data structures, classes, and OOP (Object-Oriented Programming). Specialists with knowledge of languages like R, Python, Java, and C++ are especially in demand. Knowledge in the fields of statistics, linear algebra, and mathematical analysis is also a significant advantage.
How Much Can an AI Specialist Earn?
There’s no doubt you can earn money with AI, but what income can one expect? It’s a complex question, as earnings in artificial intelligence depend on multiple factors such as a person’s experience and skills, the volume and number of projects, location within Russia, or the country if we’re talking about an international company.
Most job postings in Russia for AI specialists offer a minimum income of 60,000 rubles per month. The second most common salary request is starting from 110,000 rubles per month. In Moscow, the minimum income one can expect starts at 85,000 rubles. In Saint Petersburg, the threshold is slightly lower, starting at 75,000 rubles.
The maximum income in the AI field is not capped. In large international companies, AI specialists can earn the equivalent of 3,000,000 rubles and more. If they also manage projects remotely, their income is limited only by their free time and professional competencies. Moreover, it’s possible to start your own business in this field.
How to Become an AI Specialist?
In Russia, universities are not yet teaching how to earn money with AI since it is a young direction. For enthusiasts in this field, there are two available paths:
- Self-learning – There’s a growing number of paid and free lessons and materials on the internet about AI, but not all are of good quality;
- Online courses – A more promising option due to systematic and sequential study of theory with subsequent practice.
In any case, a significant part of the training falls on the shoulders of the specialist themselves, especially at the start of their career path. Artificial intelligence, and neural networks in particular, are not only new but also rapidly developing industries. One needs to constantly delve into the essence of emerging technologies.
In Which Areas Is This Profession In Demand?
Before earning with AI, decide in advance on the specific direction you will serve with skills in artificial intelligence. Neural networks and other AI technologies have found applications across various industries, so there is an option for everyone:
- Finance sector. Banks, stockbrokers, investment funds, and various types of lending institutions all need AI technologies for analytics and beyond.
- Health care. AI is used for online diagnostics, precise monitoring of disease prevalence, testing properties of medications and vaccines.
- Retail. Online services, including e-commerce, desperately need the expansive capabilities of AI in big user data analytics.
- Transport and logistics. Predicting demand for goods, planning deliveries, finding new and optimizing old routes are just a few tasks for AI in logistics.
- An AI specialist can easily find work in other industries, including manufacturing, game development, telecommunications, robotics, and many other fields.
5 Reasons to Become an AI and Neural Network Specialist
Knowing how much AI developers earn is not enough to objectively decide to pursue employment in this area. In addition to high income, there are other advantages:
- High income with stable career progression;
- Relatively low levels of competition with high demand for the profession;
- Opportunities to hold managerial positions as team leaders/senior developers;
- Prospects of employment in major international companies with relocation opportunities;
- The possibility of working not only in an office but also remotely from home.
Don’t forget about the drawbacks of the profession. It mainly involves sedentary work associated with exhaustion, irregular hours, and personal responsibility for the final result. Before earning with AI, consider whether you are prepared for these aspects of the job.
