AI-skilled engineers receive 12% pay rise
NEW YORK, UNITED STATES — The average salary for senior software engineers specializing in artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning has risen by 12% compared to those without the same specialization.
According to Roger Lee, who oversees industry layoff tracker Layoffs.fyi and salary monitor Comprehensive.io, AI, and machine learning roles observed salary increases amid massive layoffs in the tech industry.
Young engineers, he added, are considering a strategic shift towards AI as more workers see it as a more secure and lucrative career path.
Despite conducting layoffs, tech companies like Dropbox and Meta Platforms have highlighted a shifting focus toward AI.
Dropbox CEO Drew Houston said that the firm’s next growth stage “requires a different mix of skill sets, particularly in AI and early-stage product development.”
Similarly, when Mark Zuckerberg laid out plans to eliminate 10,000 jobs at Meta Platforms last March, he said one company focus was “building AI tools to help engineers write better code faster, enabling us to automate workloads over time.”
However, the rapid AI advancement also challenges the long-standing notion that mere knowledge of computer programming safeguards job security, as mundane tasks in multiple industries, might soon be automated.
Despite the overall gloomy scenario, AI-related roles hold a silver lining for tech professionals navigating the turbulent job market.
