AI Research Scientist Salary in Top-tier Companies

Last updated by Rishabh Dev Choudhary on Aug 30, 2024 at 07:21 PM | Reading time: 8 minutes

The Roles of AI Research Scientists

An AI research scientist develops innovative machine-learning techniques and builds new algorithms to solve problems or improve existing solutions. They collaborate with data scientists, computer programmers, and peers across the organization to create accurate and reliable models. There are several jobs that an AI research scientist can play, such as -

Data Scientist
ML Engineer
Computer Vision Research Scientist

An Overview of AI Research Scientist Salary in Top-Tier Companies

Statista predicts that by 2025, the size of the global AI market will reach $126 billion. Given its broad application, it is reasonable to conclude that artificial intelligence is an expanding field with plenty of intriguing job prospects. As a result, top-tier companies are offering handsome amounts to the AI professionals they hire.

Let’s discuss the salaries of research scientists in some of the top tech giants one by one.

AI Research Scientist Salary in Meta

According to Glassdoor, the average annual salary of a research scientist from Meta in the United States is approximately $177,730. The salary range is from $72,000 to $328,000 annually.

AI Research Scientist Salary in Amazon

As per Indeed, the average annual salary of an Amazon research scientist in the United States is approximately $165,485. The salary range is from $84,000 to $272,000 annually.

AI Research Scientist Salary in Google

Glassdoor’s data shows the average yearly pay for a Google AI research scientist in the United States is approximately $204,655. The salary range is from $56,000 to $446,000 annually.

AI Research Scientist Salary in Apple

According to Glassdoor, the average annual pay for an Apple AI research scientist in the United States is approximately $189,678. The salary range is from $89,000 to $326,000 annually.

AI Research Scientist Salary in Netflix

According to Indeed, the average annual salary for a Netflix research scientist is over $320,000, as per Indeed, which is 229% more than the national average.

AI Research Scientist Salary in Open AI

According to Ashby, the average salary of an AI research scientist at Open AI is between the range of $295K – $440K.

Average AI Research Scientist Salary across top companies in the US

Company	Average Salary (in US$ per year)
Meta	$177,730
Amazon	$165,485
Google	$204,655
Apple	$189,678
Netflix	$320,000
Open AI	$300,000
DeepMind	$450,000
SalesForce	$441,000

Source: Glassdoor

Average AI Research Scientist Salary across various cities in the United States

Indeed reports the average salaries for research scientists in various cities in the United States.

City	Average Salary (in US$ per year)
Menlo Park, CA	$170,918
Berkeley, CA	$123,453
San Diego, CA	$118,240
Seattle, WA	$92,235
Albany, NY	$89,279
Fort Collins, CO	$85,887
Baltimore, MD	$85,518
Boulder, CO	$82,815
Charlottesville, VA	$79,127

Source: Indeed

AI Research Scientist: Responsibilities

Given below are the key responsibilities of an AI research scientist:

Research work: To enhance the functionality and performance of AI systems, AI research experts look into novel algorithms, approaches, and procedures.
Collaboration with teams: To apply AI techniques to real-world issues and create workable solutions, AI research scientists frequently work in multidisciplinary teams alongside engineers, data scientists, and domain specialists. An illustration of this would be an AI researcher collaborating with a group of software engineers and education specialists to create an AI-driven personalized learning platform that is suited to the requirements of specific students.
Development of algorithms: To address particular AI issues, AI research scientists create, develop, and test deep learning models, machine learning algorithms, and other AI methodologies.
Publication of papers: For AI research scientists, publishing research papers in prestigious AI conferences and journals is usual. Through this practice, they can establish their competence, network with other professionals, and add to the pool of knowledge on their area of interest.

6 Steps to Become an AI Research Scientist

As AI is becoming popular and is being applied in different industries, the role of an AI Research Scientist is also becoming vital. Below are the 6 steps that you need to follow to become one:

Learn the basics
Get the right education
Build a strong foundation
Develop technical and soft skills
Earn certifications
Build a portfolio, stay updated, and contribute to open-source projects

Let’s look at them in detail:

1. Learn the basics

The first step to becoming an AI research scientist is to learn the basics of the field. You will need to get familiar with the core concepts. You can do this by self-study or even take guidance from experienced mentors. Learning programming languages like Python and Java can be beneficial for this role and can be used to create frameworks for AI models.

2. Get the right education

To work as an AI research scientist, you need to have the right educational background. A bachelor’s degree in computer science or similar fields like software engineering can provide foundational knowledge about AI.

Even though a degree is not mandatory for this profession, it can give you significant benefits and help you excel in the job role. A master’s degree in specializations such as AI and machine learning will provide you the practical skills needed for this job. While a PhD will help you in contributing towards AI’s advancement.

3. Build a strong foundation

A strong grasp of advanced AI concepts can help you develop both basic and complex applications. Here you can learn concepts like deep learning, natural language processing (NLP), linear algebra, and more.

4. Develop technical and soft skills

As an AI research scientist, you will have to interact with different stakeholders and present your research findings to them.

Strong communication, collaboration, and presentation skills will help you perform well in this role. In addition, a strong technical background will help you carry out different complex activities and build robust AI models.

5. Earn certifications

Another way apart from earning your degree to showcase your skills is to earn certifications.

Certificates from reputed sources like IBM, Amazon, etc. will help you inform the hiring managers that you have the right qualifications and credentials for the job. You can focus on areas like robotics, big data, software engineering, etc. for your certifications.

6. Build a portfolio, stay updated, and contribute to open-source projects

This is a very important step to make a career in this domain. Focusing on building a portfolio that you can show to the hiring managers showcasing your talents and skills to work as an AI research scientist can help you land this job.

Your portfolio must contain different aspects of your work like research findings, results, code samples, frameworks, etc. Contributing to open-source projects can also help in this regard.

The next important thing is to stay updated with the latest trends in the AI industry. You can follow companies like OpenAI and DeepMind to stay updated with latest research. You can study their work to predict and understand the future trends.

Get ready to nail the next AL Interview with IK

The need for qualified experts in the field of artificial intelligence is growing quickly as more and more top-tier companies worldwide are investing in AI research and development.

Top-tier companies in the AI industry set high standards for their employees. Also, the entry barrier is too high but fret not as Interview Kickstart helps you crack the challenging interviews. You can prepare yourself through our machine learning interview masterclass.

Our exceptional and knowledgeable instructors who work as leading engineers at top-tier companies like Apple, Facebook, Google guide you on how to crack the toughest interviews.

FAQs: AI Research Scientist Salary

What is the salary of an IBM AI research scientist?
The median total pay for a Research Scientist at IBM is $171K, with a range of $148K—$199K per year. This compensation includes base salary and additional pay.

How do AI Research scientists contribute to research at Google?
AI research scientists play an important role in research at Google. They contribute in different ways, such as developing new algorithms, improving existing models, conducting experiments, publishing research papers, collaborating with peers, contributing to open source and staying updated with the latest research.

What factors influence the salary of an AI research scientist at top-tier companies?
Several factors influence the salary of an AI research scientist at top-tier companies, including:

Experience level: More experienced scientists tend to earn higher salaries.
Education: Advanced degrees (e.g., PhD) can lead to higher pay.
Location: Salaries can vary significantly based on the cost of living in different cities.
Company performance: Successful companies with higher profits often pay more.
Specialization: Niche expertise in areas like deep learning or computer vision can command higher salaries.

Are there additional benefits provided to AI research scientists at these companies?
Yes, AI research scientists at top-tier companies often receive comprehensive benefits packages, including health insurance, equity optins, bonuses, retirement plans, and so on.

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Rishabh Dev Choudhary

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Contents

Rishabh Dev Choudhary

Attend our Free Webinar on How to Nail Your Next Technical Interview

How to Nail your next Technical Interview

Worried About Failing Tech Interviews?

Tools to Enhance Full Stack Development with AI

The Future of Data Science: Emerging Trends and Opportunities

Data-Driven Decision Making: Your Roadmap to Business Success

The Business Impact of Machine Learning: Real-world Case Studies

What is OpenAI? Everything You Need to Know

Mock Interviews for Generative AI: Essential Practice to Land Top AI Roles

Top Python Scripting Interview Questions and Answers You Should Practice

Complex SQL Interview Questions for Interview Preparation

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