Salary Guide
AI Salaries 2026
What every AI role pays — from entry-level data annotators to C-suite executives. Updated salary ranges, demand growth, and the skills you need.
| Role | Avg Salary | Range | Demand | Remote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chief AI Officer (CAIO) | $351,766 | $250,000 — $643,731 | +300% | Hybrid/Onsite |
| AI Research Scientist | $235,000 | $150,000 — $489,000 | +42% | Hybrid (most require some onsite) |
| Machine Learning Engineer | $206,000 | $150,000 — $451,000 | +38% | Hybrid to Remote |
| AI Engineer | $185,000 | $130,000 — $350,000 | +56% | Remote-friendly |
| MLOps Engineer | $178,000 | $140,000 — $280,000 | +45% | Hybrid to Remote |
| NLP Engineer | $175,000 | $140,000 — $280,000 | +33% | Remote-friendly |
| Computer Vision Engineer | $172,000 | $140,000 — $280,000 | +28% | Mostly Hybrid/Onsite |
| AI Product Manager | $168,000 | $130,000 — $250,000 | +40% | Hybrid to Remote |
| AI Ethics & Safety Researcher | $158,000 | $120,000 — $220,000 | +62% | Remote-friendly |
| Prompt Engineer | $136,407 | $101,000 — $192,000 | +135.8% | Highly remote-friendly |
| AI Data Annotator / Trainer | $47,270 | $35,000 — $100,000+ | +25% | Fully Remote |
Role Profiles
Chief AI Officer (CAIO)
10+ years experience
Lead AI strategy at the executive level. The newest C-suite title with explosive demand.
View details →AI Research Scientist
PhD + 2-5 years experience
Conduct fundamental AI research. Publish papers, develop new architectures, and push the boundaries of what AI can do.
View details →Machine Learning Engineer
3-5 years experience
Build, train, and deploy machine learning models in production. Bridge the gap between research and real-world applications.
View details →AI Engineer
2-4 years experience
Build AI-powered applications using LLMs and foundation models. The hottest engineering role of 2026.
View details →MLOps Engineer
3-5 years experience
Manage the infrastructure for ML model deployment, monitoring, and scaling. 10-15% premium over standard ML roles.
View details →NLP Engineer
2-5 years experience
Specialize in natural language processing — text understanding, generation, and analysis.
View details →Computer Vision Engineer
3-5 years experience
Build systems that understand images and video — autonomous driving, medical imaging, robotics.
View details →AI Product Manager
3-7 years PM + AI knowledge experience
Define and deliver AI-powered products. Bridge between technical AI teams and business goals.
View details →AI Ethics & Safety Researcher
2-5 years experience
Ensure AI systems are safe, fair, and aligned with human values. Fastest-growing non-engineering AI role.
View details →Prompt Engineer
1-3 years experience
Design and optimize prompts for AI models. Fastest-growing AI role with 135.8% demand surge.
View details →AI Data Annotator / Trainer
None required experience
Train AI models by labeling data and evaluating outputs. Entry-level gateway to AI careers. Domain experts earn $50-100/hr.
View details →