Remote AI Jobs: Navigating Work-from-Home Careers in Artificial Intelligence

Key takeaways

• Potential remote AI jobs include machine learning engineer, data scientist, AI research scientist, natural language processing engineer, and AI software developer. 

• Remote AI jobs help businesses automate and improve the outcomes of specific tasks, and these roles appear across industries such as finance, agriculture, health care, retail, national security, and information technology. 

• Technical skills you may need for remote AI jobs include computer languages, such as Python, C++, MATLAB, R, and Java, while two workplace skills are communication and collaboration. 

You can begin a career in AI with no experience by taking advantage of options such as self-directed learning, boot camps, and credentials like certifications and Professional Certificates. Explore several potentially remote AI jobs, including their salaries, job outlook, and education requirements. 

Then, if you’re ready to develop your skills in this field, enroll in the IBM AI Engineering Professional Certificate. In as little as four months, you can learn about computer vision, supervised learning, large language modeling, machine learning, Python programming, and more. 

What are AI jobs?

Businesses utilize AI to help automate and improve the outcomes of certain tasks. AI professionals are responsible for developing innovative, productive, and efficient new ways to create content, drive marketing, write code, power chatbots, and even teach robots to act more human. Various industries and sectors need AI professionals, including: 

• Finance

• Agriculture

• Health care

• Retail

• National security

• Information technology

Some AI professionals work toward implementing technology to automate repetitive, menial tasks. Other AI-based jobs are more exploratory in nature; they combine machine learning, linguistics, psychology, and other fields to develop programs capable of interacting with people in remarkably human-like ways. 

Types of remote AI jobs

Due to the nature of the technology, you can work many AI jobs remotely. Check out some remote AI jobs to look out for as you begin planning your career path. 

All salary information represents the median total pay from Glassdoor as of June 2026. These figures include base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other compensation.

1. Machine learning engineer

Median annual total salary: $163,000

Job outlook (2024 through 2034): 20 percent [1]

Requirements: Bachelor’s degree in information technology or computer science, certifications in core programming languages 

Machine learning engineers leverage AI to help solve various problems people have. One such problem is designing technology that can eliminate the need for human input on menial data entry tasks, for example. 

You will develop, test, and troubleshoot new AI-based technologies as a machine learning engineer. You’ll fine-tune your work as clients offer feedback, helping you build AI tools that make businesses more efficient and profitable.

2. Data scientist

Median annual total salary: $156,000

Job outlook (2024 through 2034): 34 percent annual growth [2]

Requirements: Bachelor’s degree in mathematics, statistics, computer science, or related field, sometimes master’s or doctorate 

Data scientists research and analyze the data that goes into machine learning programs. Their goal is to find patterns and use them to create data-driven solutions. 

Data scientists help develop business strategies, create predictive data models, and analyze new data to gain insights that can boost company productivity and revenue.

3. AI research scientist

Median annual total salary: $199,000

Job outlook (2024 through 2034): 20 percent annual growth [1]

Requirements: Master’s degree in computer science; in some cases, a bachelor’s degree in computer science is sufficient. 

AI research scientists are at the forefront of AI technology. In this position, you work to develop more complex and useful AI systems by evaluating the worth of existing algorithms and protocols and making suggestions for improvement. 

It’s not uncommon for AI research scientists to work as academics in universities, where they may sometimes work with experts in other disciplines.

4. Natural language processing engineer

Median annual total salary: $165,000

Job outlook (2024 through 2034): 20 percent annual growth [1]

Requirements: Bachelor’s degree or certificate in engineering, data science, or computer science; master’s or doctorate in some cases 

Natural language processing (NLP) engineers work with the side of AI that allows computers to understand and replicate human language. 

NLP is the technology behind much of the generative AI you may already use today, from ChatGPT and similar text-based chatbot models to Alexa, Siri, Cortana, and other voice-responsive tools. As an NLP engineer, you’ll work to make AI more sophisticated in its ability to understand human language and ever more human-like in its responses.

5. Computer vision engineer

Median annual total salary: $166,000

Job outlook (2024 through 2034): 20 percent annual growth [1]

Requirements: Bachelor’s degree in computer science or information technology; computer language skills and experience with deep learning libraries 

Computer vision engineers work with the side of AI that allows computers to take in visual input, make sense of it, and output images and videos in a way that makes sense. 

A well-known computer vision application is what’s in self-driving cars, which take in information about the visual world and react to it like a human being would, for example, by stopping at a stop light. 

6. AI product manager

Median annual total salary: $197,000

Job outlook (2024 through 2034): 15 percent annual growth [3]

Requirements: Bachelor’s degree in computer or information science

AI product managers oversee the strategies behind AI model rollouts. 

AI product management exists where data science and marketing intersect. As such, an AI product manager must understand their AI product's market value, how best to get it to customers, what everyone’s role is in the development process, and how to suggest improvements along the marketing life cycle.

7. Robotics engineer

Median annual total salary: $144,000

Job outlook (2024 through 2034): 9 percent annual growth [4]

Requirements: Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or mechanical engineering technology

Robotics engineers work at the intersection of mechanical engineering and machine learning to create machines that can learn and adapt to human communication. 

Your goal as a modern robotics engineer is to make robots capable of performing tedious tasks for people and to make these robots smarter. Robots with AI capabilities can learn about their environment, interact with people in a human-like way, and work autonomously without human oversight. 

Read more: Guide to a Robotics Engineering Career

8. AI ethics consultant

Median annual total salary: $209,000

Job outlook (2024 through 2034): Much faster than average, 317,700 job openings per year [5]

Requirements: Bachelor’s degree in computer science, philosophy, or social sciences; possible study in both AI and ethics

AI ethics consultants help businesses develop fair and transparent AI use protocols. In this job, you’ll focus on considering the kind of ethical dilemmas businesses could run into concerning AI use and how to solve them.

9. Business intelligence analyst

Median annual total salary: $117,000

Job outlook (2024 through 2034): 9 percent annual growth [6]

Requirements: Bachelor’s degree and years of work-related experience

Business intelligence analysts develop the data visualization capabilities used in workplace platforms. These platforms store, arrange, display, and even analyze business data as it is input into the algorithm.

10. AI software developer

Median annual total salary: $150,000

Job outlook (2024 through 2034): 15 percent annual growth [7]

Requirements: Bachelor’s degree in computer and information technology or related field

AI software developers do what computer developers do, albeit focusing on AI. These IT professionals create software utilizing computer languages such as Python, R, and Java. 

AI software developers don’t necessarily write code all the time. Rather, they examine data and build training architectures for AI models; much of what they do is built on existing code networks. 

Skills and qualifications for AI jobs

Technical skills 

You’ll likely need to know at least one computer language to qualify for an AI job. Common computer languages include: 

• Python

• C++

• MATLAB

• R

• Java

While AI can write code itself in a fairly sophisticated way, if you plan to work an AI job that develops machine learning algorithms from the ground up, you’ll need to know at least one computer language to do so. 

Mathematical and statistical knowledge

AI professionals will likely need to be conversant with linear algebra and calculus. Since AI models work probabilistically, you’ll also need to know a fair bit about statistics. 

Machine learning algorithms are unintelligible without a background in statistics. Concepts such as likelihood, expectation, variance, and Bayes’ theorem apply in an elemental way. 

Workplace skills 

Integrating AI into the workforce involves more than just advanced technical abilities. It also involves workplace skills like effective communication and cooperation. 

Programming human-like features into machines requires the programmer to possess those features. Many companies discover that, despite possessing the required technical skills for AI jobs, candidates often need essential intellectual and emotional abilities to succeed.

How do I get into AI with no experience?

You can begin a career in AI by taking advantage of several options, including self-directed learning, boot camps, or credentials such as certifications and Professional Certificates. Boot camps and self-directed learning may help you with roles that involve applying AI, such as machine learning (ML) specialist, AI developer, and data analyst. While pursuing one or more of these avenues, consider developing four important skills for working in AI: programming, data handling, AI and machine learning concepts, and mathematics. Furthermore, you may not need a computer science degree to work in AI-focused junior or analyst roles, as potential employers want to see your coding ability, data skills, and whether you can clearly explain your work on a project. Also, as you develop your skill set, build a portfolio that demonstrates your growing knowledge in this field. 

Explore our free career resources for AI professionals

Explore career paths, assess your skills, and connect with resume guidance while browsing our Career Resources Hub. Or if you want to learn more about AI, check out these free resources:

• Watch on YouTube: Career Spotlight: AI Research Scientist

• Take a quiz: AI Career Quiz: Is It Right for You? Find Your Role

• Read our Career Chat issue: Dreaming of a Remote Job? Here Are Our Tips for Finding One.

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