How to Hire AI Developers?

With the major progress in all sub-domains of artificial intelligence, the demand for AI developers has tremendously increased. AI-related skills are highly valued in the market and adopted in various industries. Moreover, the involvement of AI developers has been proven to play a prominent role in delivering sophisticated products and services. In this article, we’ve focused on the AI developer job and some efficient approaches to engage with the best specialists on the market.

List of the Content

• What do AI developers do?
• Responsibilities of AI engineers
• Requirements to hire AI developers
• Where to find AI developers?
• How to hire AI developers?
• How much do AI developers make?
• Conclusion

WHAT DO AI DEVELOPERS DO?

Considering the rapid pace of technological advancements, we can’t underestimate the maturation of AI. Over recent years, it has found wide adoption across numerous fields. From optimizing service operations to creating AI-powered products, companies continue implementing business-specific solutions with best-in-class approaches. Moreover, it’s worth noting that many businesses are already engaged with AI adoption and feel its profound impact.

But at the same time, many of them mention the challenge of finding the required talent. All of this underlines the pressing need for a larger number of experts in this domain and better approaches to finding the right specialists. To figure out all of these aspects, we’ve decided to bring up a topic about AI developers and their active role in advancing the industry.

“What do AI developers do?” is obviously the first question to start, as it helps unveil more details on job specifications. Like any other developer, the role of AI experts embraces creating, testing, and deploying code. And the main focus remains on implementing and integrating artificial intelligence into the project deliverables. 

In simple words, AI specialists are professionals involved in developing AI applications and systems. They bring expert knowledge and skills to build AI-powered software, offering innovative solutions. Developers often have specialized roles based on their areas of expertise, like machine learning, computer vision, natural language processing, deep learning, robotics process automation, etc.

The role of AI developers primarily embraces the implementation and integration of AI algorithms into the logic of the delivered project. They have a wide choice of techniques and tools to develop and maintain advanced solutions. Besides, it requires expert knowledge of software engineering, programming, and data science. 

Pursuing the primary goal of AI, developers work towards not only implementing the existing solutions but also introducing new ones. With broadened knowledge of software development and artificial intelligence, they bring the necessary skills to introduce smart and innovative solutions.

It’s worth saying that software development powered by AI is about bringing something new to business operations and processes. In cooperation with other related specialists, AI developers take part in creating reasonable software introducing smart functionality and advanced decisions. Their work contributes to the development of AI-powered applications and systems that can improve efficiency, make predictions, automate tasks, and enhance decision-making in various domains.

Considering the fact that AI is leveraged in different fields, AI developers can also work on quite different tasks and projects. The common aspect is that they need to apply artificial intelligence to find solutions to real-world problems. These developers create and maintain AI models to analyze data, learn from patterns, get predictions, and provide better decisions. They focus on bringing the power of AI to the assigned business-specific tasks. From streamlining daily operations to introducing complex solutions, AI developers are the ones making businesses more efficient and powered by the latest technologies.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF AI ENGINEERS

It’s obvious that developers’ responsibilities vary depending on the specific role and the organization they work for. But let’s gather some common tasks and responsibilities associated with the job of AI developers:

• Problem definition: It’s a common practice that AI experts have to work closely with stakeholders to understand business or research objectives. It really helps to identify problems solved or optimized using AI techniques. Their role requires a full understanding of business needs and requirements to suggest workable solutions.
• Data collection: One of the critical steps in building AI models is to gather and analyze data. Developers often work with data acquisition, data cleaning, data transformation, and data augmentation. Therefore, it’s required to obtain good skills in data science.
• Model selection and design: AI developers choose appropriate machine learning algorithms and neural network architectures based on the problem at hand. They design, develop, and fine-tune AI models to achieve desired outcomes. Besides, their responsibilities include considering such factors as data type, volume, complexity, etc.
• Training and optimization: They use data to build and train AI models. Using prepared data, AI software developers can implement techniques to evaluate and optimize model performance. It can often involve feature engineering to support relevant functionality.
• Testing and evaluation: AI developers assess model performance using various metrics and validation techniques to ensure that the AI system meets the desired criteria and is robust to different scenarios.
• Deployment: They deploy AI models into production environments, often using cloud services, containers, or other deployment tools. This involves integrating the AI system with existing software or infrastructure.
• Monitoring and maintenance: After deployment, AI software developers monitor the performance of the AI system, address arising issues, and update the model as needed to adapt to changing data distributions or business requirements.
• Collaboration: They also collaborate with cross-functional teams, including data scientists, data engineers, software developers, and domain experts, to ensure that AI solutions align with organizational goals.
• Documentation: The responsibilities cover documenting all the work, including the model architecture, data sources, and methodologies, to ensure transparency and facilitate knowledge sharing within the organization.
• Continuous learning: AI developers need to stay informed about the latest advancements, as it is a rapidly evolving area of technology. They commonly engage in continuous learning and professional development to keep skills and knowledge up-to-date in their domain.

With a specialization in a particular area of artificial intelligence, each AI developer can contribute to developing AI-powered applications and systems. The long-term trend of AI growth has made this profession highly demanded among other experts, so let’s consider some general job requirements that can be helpful when hiring AI specialists.

REQUIREMENTS TO HIRE AI DEVELOPERS

Whether looking for one AI developer or setting up the entire AI team, it’s important to define requirements to streamline the hiring process. Like in any other case, businesses should look for professionals who can become an integral part of their team, share the same values, and provide the required expertise. Considering the AI industry specifications, we recommend considering the following requirements for hiring AI developers.

• Programming skills

The first thing to remember is that AI developers are programmers. Therefore, businesses should look for experts proficient in programming languages like Python, Java, R, C#, Lisp, or Prolog. As these are widely used technologies in AI development, it’s crucial to find developers with excellent skills in some of the required languages.

• AI frameworks, libraries, and tools 

AI developers typically use a combination of frameworks, libraries, and tools to create, train, and deploy artificial intelligence models and applications. Besides, they should have solid theoretical and practical knowledge of machine learning, deep learning, and statistics. Depending on your project stack, you could look for specialists with experience with the following technologies:

• AI frameworks and tools: TensorFlow, PyTorch, Keras
• DBMS: MySQL, MongoDB, PostgreSQL, Oracle 
• Deployment: Docker, Kubernetes
• Cloud platforms: AWS, Azure, Google Cloud
• Analytics tools: Power BI, Tableau, and Zoho Analytics
• Expertise in specific AI areas

With well-defined requirements, teams often realize the need to hire AI developers with quite specific expertise. Many projects have a certain AI subdomain at their core and need specialists with hands-on experience. Therefore, businesses can look for experts in natural language processing, computer vision, neural networks, ML development, recommendation systems, speech recognition, etc.

• Problem-solving skills 

That’s another cornerstone skill for AI developers. It underpins various aspects of AI development, from algorithm design and data analysis to model selection and ethical considerations. AI developers who excel in problem-solving are better equipped to create innovative and effective AI solutions. Besides, they need strong skills to break down complex challenges into manageable components and provide reasonable outcomes.

• Flexibility and quick learning 

AI projects often involve collaboration with experts from different fields. Flexibility in understanding and adapting to others’ perspectives and knowledge is essential for effective teamwork. Besides, being flexible in the problem-solving approach and quickly acquiring new skills or knowledge to address these issues is a valuable trait. Finding AI developers with such skills brings more flexibility to the development process.

• Domain knowledge

The great advantage is that the chosen developers not only acquire the necessary tech skills but also might have previous experience within your domain. Often, field-specific knowledge can become an essential aspect. For example, healthcare AI developers should understand medical terminology and practices. Thus, teams that build healthcare solutions might prefer to find specialists who have dealt with delivering healthcare software. It considerably helps to get everyone involved and be on the same page. 

Artificial intelligence is a diverse field, and the specific requirements always vary widely based on the type of AI project being done. We hope this sampled list can become a good base to define your needs and hire the right experts. 

WHERE TO FIND AI DEVELOPERS

With the fast evolution of the AI industry, many businesses have faced the real challenge of looking for required specialists. Finding AI developers can be crucial as the company searches for a unique skill set and expertise. The demand for highly-trained professionals continues to surge and makes hiring quite challenging. Of course, developers shouldn’t be required to belong to the top global hubs like Silicon Valley. But the thing is that it has become hard to find AI engineers, especially among local talent. Companies have access to a limited number of specialists due to the talent shortage among developers in general. So, we’ve gathered several places and methods you can use to find your developers.

Online job platforms

The main point is that these platforms connect companies with a wider pool of potential candidates. They commonly offer advanced search and filtering options, allowing employers to narrow down their search based on specific criteria like skills, experience, and location. It helps in finding candidates who closely match the requirements. LinkedIn is a professional networking platform to find AI developers by searching for specific keywords and connecting with them directly. Besides, teams use job search websites like Glassdoor, which usually have a section dedicated to AI and machine learning jobs. 

AI conferences and meetups

It goes without saying that these events unveil the latest trends, research, and technologies in AI. Attending them allows businesses to identify individuals who are up-to-date with the latest advancements in the field. Besides, it provides an excellent opportunity for recruiters to network with potential candidates. They can meet developers face-to-face, discuss their work, and assess their enthusiasm and passion for AI projects. Attracting a diverse group of AI professionals from various backgrounds and experiences is valuable in building a well-rounded AI team with a range of perspectives and skills. However, they need to have a well-defined recruitment strategy in place, as competition for top talent can be fierce at these events. 

Freelancing platforms

Some businesses also refer to the services of freelancers, as the lengthy hiring processes do not bind them like in traditional hiring. Specialists are often available to start work on the project quickly and at competitive rates. Freelancing platforms enable access to a vast, diverse pool of AI developers worldwide. Moreover, freelancers can be hired on a project-by-project basis, allowing organizations to scale AI development teams up or down as needed. At the same time, it’s important to ensure the team finds qualified and reliable AI developers to mitigate the arising risks of hiring freelancers.

AI development companies and service providers

Another option involves partnering with third-party providers that specialize in AI solutions. These companies often have a pool of talented AI developers with diverse backgrounds and skill sets. That means teams can choose developers who best fit their specific project requirements. AI development companies can scale teams up or down according to the project’s needs. Such flexibility allows teams to adjust the workforce as the project evolves. Outsourcing AI development can be cost-effective, especially for smaller projects that may only sometimes have the budget or resources to maintain a full-time AI team. They often offer flexible pricing models, including hourly rates or project-based fees, which can help organizations manage their budgets more efficiently.

Companies should stay clear about their project requirements and expectations when searching for AI teams. Additionally, they need to assess candidates’ skills, expertise, and previous experience to ensure they are a good fit for their specific AI development needs.

HOW TO HIRE AI DEVELOPERS

It’s always a bright idea to start with evolving a well-thought-out strategy to attract and hire the right talent. Finding AI specialists for the project can be a challenging but crucial task. AI specialists are in high demand, so we recommend taking some time and effort to find reliable team members. We’ve gathered some helpful step-by-step guides on how to do it:

• Define project requirements

The first step relies on outlining the specific objectives and outcomes the company aims to achieve with AI. It’s essential to consider the complexity, timeline, and budget constraints of the project.

• Create a job description

A detailed job description is a must-have, as it outlines the responsibilities, qualifications, and skills required for the AI specialist position. The company has to be really specific about the technologies and tools developers should be proficient in.

• Choose the hiring method

Companies have several options for engaging with AI specialists. However, each method is known for specific characteristics. In-house hiring offers more control, while outsourcing may provide access to specialized expertise. More and more teams are considering outsourcing the AI project to a specialized AI development company or freelancers. Hiring freelancers can be cost-effective at first sight but doesn’t work for long-term projects. Therefore, extending the in-house team with dedicated staff can support in-house level control and add the necessary expertise.

• Search for AI developers or service providers

Depending on the chosen hiring model, companies start the search for individual developers or third-party providers. In both cases, they need to discuss their project’s vision and goals during the initial contact and conduct further interviews and meetings. The important thing is to stay transparent about set expectations and carefully assess expertise in specific technologies or industries relevant to the project.

• Negotiate the contract

Once you’ve chosen a provider, negotiate the contract terms, including payment milestones, intellectual property rights, and dispute resolution procedures. The contract needs to outline all project requirements and expectations. It should contain the terms of employment, including work hours, remote work policies, and any non-compete agreements. The good idea is to research industry salary standards to ensure the offer is competitive.

• Make final arrangements and start onboarding

Once everything is agreed on terms and conditions, it’s time to provide proper onboarding and training to help developers integrate into the team and understand the project’s objectives. The onboarding process should be flexible and adaptable to the specific needs of the specialists and the organization. Businesses can increase employee engagement and productivity by providing a structured and supportive onboarding experience.

• Support effective collaboration

Regardless of the duration and terms of engagement, all involved sides have to take responsibility to encourage productive collaboration and open communication. Like any other project, the success still largely depends on the capabilities and dedication of the entire development team. It covers a dynamic process where everyone works towards achieving set goals and objectives.

The decisive aspect is that hiring AI experts entails more than simply identifying the appropriate technical expertise. It also confirms their ability to collaborate effectively within the team and make meaningful contributions to the project’s success.

HOW MUCH DO AI DEVELOPERS MAKE?

The field is rapidly evolving, and demand for AI talent continues to increase, surely affecting salary trends. Many would even agree that AI specialists come at a premium as they often receive higher compensation than others. However, the main point is that the AI developer salary varies widely depending on some factors, including their experience, location, the specific industry they work in, and the engagement model. Let’s take a look at some of the mentioned aspects and how decisive they are in putting up the development rates. 

Experience: Junior AI developers with little experience may start at lower salaries, while senior specialists with a track record of prosperous projects and a deep understanding of machine learning and other AI-related technologies get significantly higher pay. For example, entry-level positions in the USA start at $117,405, whereas experienced specialists can earn $203,625.

Expertise: The depth and breadth of an AI developer’s skills and knowledge are crucial. Specialized expertise in areas like natural language processing, computer vision, or AI &GPT models can command higher salaries. The update with the latest trends and technologies in the AI field is also important. Relevant certifications, such as those from AWS, Google Cloud, or Microsoft Azure, can enhance an AI developer’s earning potential.

Project complexity: Working on high-impact projects, like cutting-edge research, results in higher salaries. It’s a common practice to measure complexity by the scale of data processed, the sophistication of algorithms developed, or the potential business impact. Besides, developers can be offered extra bonuses or equity if the project’s success is tied to the candidate’s performance.

Industry and company size: Some industries offer higher salaries due to the demand for AI. For example, the complexity and importance of medical research and diagnosis make artificial intelligence widely adopted in the healthcare and biotech sectors. Besides, larger companies, especially tech giants like Google or Amazon, tend to offer higher salaries and more extensive benefits packages compared to smaller startups or non-tech companies.

Location: AI developer salary also varies significantly based on the cost of living in a particular region. In high-cost-of-living areas like San Francisco or New York City, salaries are often adjusted upward to attract and retain talent. Locations with emerging tech scenes might offer competitive salaries relative to their cost of living. Therefore, many businesses favor specialists and service providers from remote locations as they can provide vast expertise at reasonable rates.

Engagement model: Engagement model: When you research the market rates, make sure to consider the factor of a variety of applied engagement models. Compensation for full-time employment, contract work, or consulting is calculated on different basis and terms. Full-time employees often receive benefits like health insurance, retirement contributions, paid time off, and sick leave. Whereas third-party providers cover these expenses and offer AI development services on the agreed contract terms (hourly price, fixed price model, etc.).

As a result, we can see how important it is to cover all the specific details to get the most accurate and up-to-date information on AI developer salaries. It’s advisable to consult job listings, industry reports, and salary surveys specific to your region and field of interest. Additionally, the demand for AI expertise is continually evolving, so staying up-to-date and adaptable is crucial for balancing the budget and following advancements in the field of AI development.

CONCLUSION

Hiring AI developers is a meticulous process that demands careful planning, from defining project goals to assessing technical skills and cultural fit. By following a structured approach with outlined requirements, a proper engagement model, and a fostered culture of continuous learning, organizations can increase their chances of finding the right AI talent to drive their projects to success. The field of AI is dynamic, so ongoing support and professional development are crucial for retaining and nurturing AI talent in the long term.