US companies are making major investments in artificial intelligence (AI) as businesses in every industry incorporate the technology into productions, solutions, and services. Across all sectors, US companies have invested $1.35 billion in AI talent in the past year, according to a new report from Paysa.
This large investment makes sense as by 2019, 40% of all digital transformation initiatives and 100% of all effective Internet of Things (IoT) efforts will be supported by cognitive/AI capabilities, according to the IDC.
Paysa examined AI talent hiring trends from April 2017 through September 2017. In terms of industry, big tech made the greatest investment in AI talent in that timeframe, spending $619,544,633. It was followed by financial services, which spent $82,070,361 in AI talent, and IT infrastructure, which spent $65,276,912.
SEE: IT jobs 2018: Hiring priorities, growth areas, and strategies to fill open roles (Tech Pro Research)
In terms of companies, Amazon spent the most on AI talent, at $305,832,434. Microsoft came in second, spending $124,062,524, and Apple came in third, with $105,371,161 invested.
“AI investment is exploding now, more than ever, at a rapid pace across every industry,” Chris Bolte, co-founder and CEO of Paysa, said in a press release. “Between the need to leverage massive amounts of data and deliver the highly personalized experiences that today’s connected consumer requires, new career and salary opportunities for AI talent are popping up every day and seem to be never ending. This is great news for today’s workers on many levels and squelches the fear that AI will eliminate the need for humans in the workplace.”
SEE: How to implement AI and machine learning (free PDF) (ZDNet/TechRepublic special report)
Here are the top 10 highest-paying companies for AI engineers:
1. Uber
Average salary for AI engineer: $314,746
2. Walmart Labs
Average salary for AI engineer: $265,698
3. Netflix
Average salary for AI engineer: $264,799
4. Facebook
Average salary for AI engineer: $257,846
5. Salesforce
Average salary for AI engineer: $248,281
SEE: AI expert looking for work? Here are the top 15 cities hiring for jobs in the field (TechRepublic)
6. Google
Average salary for AI engineer: $236,388
7. Coupang
Average salary for AI engineer: $234,348
8. Twitter
Average salary for AI engineer: $230,639
9. Splunk
Average salary for AI engineer: $227,202
10. Apple
Average salary for AI engineer: $227,094
