What jobs can you get with AI? More than most people think, and not all of them require a computer science degree. AI has created a new layer of careers: engineers who build AI systems, specialists who connect AI to business workflows, people who evaluate and improve AI output, and professionals in every field who use AI to do more. The common starting point is building skills consistently, and Teyro helps you do that with 15-minute gamified lessons in AI and coding.
Here are the main AI jobs, what they pay, and how to get into AI with no experience.
Direct Answer: What Jobs Can You Get With AI?
With AI skills, you can work as a machine learning engineer, AI engineer, data scientist, data engineer or AI researcher (technical roles), or as an AI product manager, AI automation specialist, AI trainer, AI consultant or AI governance specialist (hybrid and non-technical roles). AI skills also raise your value in existing jobs like marketing, finance, operations, healthcare and education.
| AI Role | Technical Level | What You Do | Typical Entry Path |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI automation specialist | Low–Medium | Connect AI to business workflows | No-code tools, operations background |
| AI trainer / evaluator | Low–Medium | Review and improve AI output | Domain expertise, writing skills |
| AI product manager | Medium | Decide what AI products to build | Product or business background |
| AI solutions consultant | Medium | Help companies adopt AI | Consulting, sales engineering |
| AI governance / policy | Low–Medium | Manage risk, ethics, compliance | Law, policy, risk background |
| Data analyst | Medium | Analyse data, often with AI tools | SQL, Python, statistics |
| AI engineer | High | Build apps on top of AI models | Software development + AI APIs |
| Data scientist | High | Build models and extract insights | Statistics, Python, ML |
| Machine learning engineer | High | Train, deploy and maintain models | Software engineering + ML |
| AI research scientist | Very high | Invent new AI methods | Usually a PhD |
What Is the AI Job Salary?
There is no single "AI salary" in official statistics, since many AI roles are classified under broader occupations. These US Bureau of Labor Statistics figures (median annual pay, May 2025) are useful reference points:
| BLS Occupation | Median Pay | Projected Growth 2025–2035 | Related AI Roles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer and information research scientists | $140,300 | +22% | AI research scientist |
| Software developers | $135,980 | +10% | AI engineer, ML engineer |
| Data scientists | $120,230 | +35% | Data scientist, ML specialist |
| Software QA analysts and testers | $104,300 | +6% | AI evaluation and testing |
Context that matters:
- Specialised AI engineers at large technology companies often earn well above these medians, particularly with stock compensation.
- Entry-level pay is lower than the median. Medians represent the middle of all experience levels.
- Location matters. Salaries outside the US are usually lower in absolute terms but can be very high relative to local averages, and remote work widens options.
- Hybrid roles vary widely. AI product managers and consultants can earn as much as engineers; entry-level AI trainer roles often pay less.
How Much Do AI Coders Get Paid?
AI-focused developers (AI engineers and machine learning engineers) generally earn at or above general software developer pay, which had a US median of $135,980 in May 2025. The premium reflects the combination of software engineering skill and machine learning knowledge, which is still relatively scarce.
What pushes AI coder pay higher:
- Production experience: shipping AI features real users rely on
- Evaluation and reliability skills: measuring and improving AI quality
- Infrastructure knowledge: deploying and scaling models efficiently
- Domain expertise: AI in finance, healthcare or security
- Strong fundamentals: software engineering skill, not just AI tools
If you are starting from zero, the route usually runs through general coding first. See how to teach yourself to code and is coding a good career?
Technical AI Jobs in Detail
AI Engineer
Builds applications on top of existing AI models: chatbots, assistants, document search, automated workflows. Skills: Python or JavaScript, AI APIs, retrieval (RAG), evaluation and deployment. This is currently one of the most accessible technical AI roles for software developers.
Machine Learning Engineer
Trains, deploys and maintains machine learning models in production. Skills: Python, ML frameworks (PyTorch, scikit-learn), data pipelines, cloud platforms, MLOps and solid math foundations.
Data Scientist
Uses statistics and machine learning to answer business questions and build predictive models. BLS projects 35% growth from 2025 to 2035, one of the fastest of any occupation.
AI Research Scientist
Invents new AI methods and models. Usually requires a PhD and strong publication record. A small but influential part of the AI job market.
Non-Technical and Hybrid AI Jobs
AI Automation Specialist
Uses tools like Zapier, Make or n8n (plus AI models) to automate business processes: summarising customer emails, classifying support tickets, generating reports. Often filled by people from operations, marketing or admin backgrounds who learned AI tools deeply.
AI Trainer and Evaluator
Reviews AI outputs, writes examples and rates responses to help improve models. Domain experts (doctors, lawyers, coders, writers) are especially valued for specialised evaluation work.
AI Product Manager
Decides what AI features to build, for whom and why, then works with engineers to ship them. Requires understanding AI's capabilities and limits without necessarily writing code.
AI Governance and Policy
Helps organisations use AI responsibly: risk assessment, compliance with emerging regulation, bias audits and internal policies. A growing field for people with law, policy or risk backgrounds.
How Do I Get Into AI With No Experience?
- Start in your current role. Use AI to improve your own work, and document the results (hours saved, errors reduced).
- Learn the fundamentals. Take a free course like Elements of AI. See can I learn AI for free?
- Choose a path:
- Fast path (weeks to months): AI automation, AI-assisted roles, AI training and evaluation
- Technical path (months to years): Python, data, machine learning, AI engineering
- Build 2 or 3 public projects. An AI tool that solves a real problem in a field you know is more impressive than a generic tutorial clone.
- Look inside first. Internal moves into AI roles are often easier than external applications.
- Tell people what you are learning. Share projects on LinkedIn or GitHub; opportunities often come from visibility.
For the step-by-step learning path, read how to start learning AI as a complete beginner.
Which AI Skills Do Employers Want?
- AI tool fluency and the judgement to verify outputs
- Python and data skills for technical roles
- Workflow automation for operations roles
- Evaluation: measuring whether AI is actually working
- Communication: explaining AI decisions to non-technical people
- Domain expertise: knowing the industry you apply AI to
More detail in which AI skills are most in demand.
Duolingo-Style Roadmap: From Zero to an AI Career
[Level 1: Novice (0–500 XP)] ──> AI literacy + AI in your current job
│ 15 min/day | Goal: documented time savings
▼
[Level 2: Builder (500–1500 XP)] ──> Choose a path: automation or Python + data
│ Goal: 1–2 public AI projects
▼
[Level 3: Pro (1500+ XP)] ──> Specialise: AI engineering, data science, AI product or governance
Goal: portfolio + applications or an internal move
The Bottom Line
AI has created jobs at every technical level, from AI automation specialists and evaluators to AI engineers and researchers. The best-paid roles combine strong software or data skills with AI knowledge, and data science alone is projected to grow 35% over the next decade. You do not need to start at the top. Start where you are, apply AI to your current work, and build toward the role you want.
Begin your AI career path with a 15-minute lesson on Teyro.
Related: Which jobs will survive AI? · What jobs will AI replace? · What skills are needed for AI · Best AI courses for beginners
