How to Hire an AI Developer: The Complete Guide

AI developers are versatile experts who improve business systems by automating routine manual tasks and enhancing decision-making through advanced data analysis and prediction. They play a critical role in reshaping key industries like e-commerce, finance, and healthcare: the AI solutions they create can personalize user experiences for consumer products, uncover optimal investment strategies, and improve health treatments.

Our guide is for tech leaders and hiring professionals who want to learn about the demand for AI and machine learning experts and the impact artificial intelligence has on various industries. You will discover the key skills to look for, ideas for interview questions, salary insights, and the best platforms to hire AI engineers ready to drive changes in your business.

What is the role of AI development in various industries?

The history of artificial intelligence involves efforts to create an “artificial brain” that could surpass human intellectual capabilities. It began with the invention of computers, which were initially designed to execute programmed instructions. Over time, scientists and developers advanced these machines to perform cognitive functions, such as problem-solving and decision-making.

Today, AI development and its subfields—such as machine learning, natural language processing (NLP), computer vision, and robotics—are being applied across various industries. Let’s explore a few examples.

Retail and e-commerce

Retailers and e-commerce companies use artificial intelligence-based visual search, allowing consumers to search for products using images rather than text. E-commerce companies also embed AI into recommendation engines that show customers products based on their browsing history and preferences.

Finance

Businesses of all kinds use financial management systems enhanced with AI to predict cash flow, identify risks, reduce accounting errors, and ultimately ensure long-term enterprise sustainability. Banks and credit card networks also rely on AI to prevent fraud by quickly detecting unusual transaction patterns.

Healthcare

The most common use of traditional machine learning in healthcare is precision medicine, which predicts the treatment protocols most likely to be successful based on various patient characteristics. There are also more fascinating applications of artificial intelligence, such as robots that rely on AI to automate surgical procedures. Machine-led surgeries enhance the detection of positive surgical margins and even allow for the complete automation of certain steps in surgeries, such as creating precise, minimally invasive incisions and stitching wounds.

Education

AI helps collect and analyze learning data to identify patterns and trends in student performance. Education systems can use this information to pinpoint areas for improvement, discover effective learning techniques, and identify students who need personalized support to achieve academic success.

Human resources

The ability of artificial intelligence to analyze large amounts of data has proven valuable in human resources and talent management. AI algorithms can evaluate the profiles of potential candidates and identify the most qualified individuals. In addition, HR managers can use AI to target existing employees with personalized offers for career development.

How high is the demand for AI developers?

While it can be difficult to measure the demand dynamics for AI professionals, the latest McKinsey report shows a rise in AI adoption among businesses. This suggests that experienced AI engineers and data scientists will be in high demand in the near future. The report also predicts that generative AI will lead to significant changes in various industries in the years ahead.

According to McKinsey’s “State of AI in Early 2024,” the percentage of organizations that have adopted AI in at least one business function has increased from 20% in 2017 to 72% in early 2024. In addition, 67% of respondents expect their organizations to invest more in either analytical or generative AI over the next three years.

Diving into the 2024 Stack Overflow Developer Survey, we find that AI developers, data scientists, and machine learning specialists are among the top 10 highest-paid developer types in the United States, while data scientists and machine learning experts rank as the fifth highest-paid in Germany. This confirms the demand for AI professionals, although their salaries are surpassed by those of mobile developers, back-end developers, and cloud infrastructure engineers.

The AI sector is also seeing the rise of new roles, such as AI ethicists, who ensure that AI technologies are developed in accordance with ethical and legal standards. Another emerging role is that of AI healthcare professionals, who possess both machine learning and medical expertise. It will be interesting to see how the demand for these roles changes in the future.

Skills to look for when hiring an AI engineer

AI developers are primarily focused on the following tasks:

• collecting, cleaning, and preprocessing data;
• training AI models using the training data;
• optimizing AI algorithms for performance;
• designing benchmarks for machine learning pipelines;
• integrating AI systems into existing software applications.

To ensure that AI developers are ready to tackle complex challenges, hiring companies should look for the following technical skills and personal attributes:

1. Programming skills: AI engineers are required to have expertise in programming languages such as Python, Java, R, and Julia, as well as proficiency in libraries and frameworks specifically designed for data manipulation, data analysis, and high-performance computing.
2. Machine learning and deep learning knowledge: AI developers must understand learning algorithms and computational models, such as decision trees, neural networks, and support vector machines, including their differences and effectiveness in solving data-rich problems.
3. Mathematics and statistics: AI development heavily relies on branches of mathematics such as linear algebra, calculus, probability, statistics, and discrete mathematics. These areas are fundamental for processing and analyzing data, making predictions, and interpreting results.
4. Database modeling and data processing: AI engineers manage large quantities of information and use machine learning techniques to process data more efficiently. They need to know how to acquire, clean, and transform data into a suitable format for further analysis.
5. Problem solving: AI and computer science provide methods for solving real-world problems. Developers with an analytical mindset who blend logic and creativity can effectively translate business problems into AI solutions. They not only understand the potential of AI but also explore the key concepts and challenges of the specific field in which the company operates.

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Top interview questions for hiring AI developers

Companies should ask questions that uncover AI developers’ expertise and directly address the requirements of the projects the engineers will be working on. These questions will help determine whether candidates are proficient in solving problems and enthusiastic about their future tasks. Based on our experience interviewing AI experts, we’ve compiled a list of questions we usually recommend to our clients.

1. What are you looking for in your next position?
2. What has been your most recent professional achievement in AI development? Are there any projects where you applied innovative techniques?
3. How long would it take you to learn a new machine learning algorithm or framework? Can you give an example of a tool you recently learned and how you applied it?
4. Are there any AI development methods that you find challenging to use?
5. Give an example where you encountered issues with data quality. How did you approach that challenge?
6. How do you manage the expectations of non-technical team members and clients when working on an AI project? Can you provide examples of situations where you had to explain complex concepts or negotiate realistic deadlines given an ambitious project scope?
7. How do you handle a situation where your model is not performing as expected?
8. Have you ever encountered compatibility issues between different AI frameworks? If so, how did you address these conflicts?

Hiring companies can also use virtual skill assessments or provide AI engineers with paid trial projects that simulate the real tasks they will encounter as employees or contractors.

Finally, businesses should discover how a candidate’s values and behaviors align with the company’s culture. Ask them what they value most in a workplace, or present hypothetical scenarios that require the engineer to describe how they would respond.

How much does it cost to hire AI engineers?

We’ve compiled information on the average salaries of senior AI developers from Glassdoor and DOU. These platforms consider the earnings of engineers with varying levels of expertise, so actual salaries may differ from case to case.

Salaries in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany represent the midpoint of the ranges from Glassdoor’s proprietary Total Pay Estimate model and are based on data collected from platform users. Wages in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. consist of a base salary and additional compensation, which may include cash bonuses, commissions, tips, and profit sharing.

Salaries in Ukraine represent the median values of figures collected from DOU users.

*AI developer median annual salaries. Sources: Glassdoor.com, DOU.ua

Let’s also consider an alternative source. The 2024 Stack Overflow Developer Survey shows that in the U.S., AI developers earn a median salary of $160,000, while data scientists and machine learning experts earn $159,000. In contrast, data scientists and machine learning experts in Germany earn around $76,000. These figures represent the median total annual compensation, which includes salary, bonuses, and perks, before taxes and deductions, based on data collected from Stack Overflow’s users.

In addition, we’ve compiled a list of average hourly rates for senior data scientists and machine learning engineers registered on the YouTeam platform. These figures represent the average hourly rates for top-rated software engineers who have experience working remotely and have listed machine learning as their core expertise.

*Average hourly rates for data scientists or machine learning engineers. Source: YouTeam.io

Where can I find the best AI engineers?

We offer four options for companies looking to quickly assemble remote teams with the right skills or acquire specialized expertise that is unavailable in the local market.

Our focus is on hiring platforms that provide pre-vetted AI, machine learning, and computer vision engineers, saving companies time on interviewing. Each platform also offers a trial period to evaluate candidates before making hiring decisions, along with ongoing customer support to handle all administrative and legal matters.

1. YouTeam

YouTeam is a network of 50,000 vetted engineers from Latin America and Europe. With YouTeam, companies can integrate skilled AI developers into their engineering teams, drawing from a pool of English-speaking professionals experienced in remote work and fast-paced environments.

The platform provides a 2-week risk-free trial period for each developer, and its customer success management team handles all aspects of AI developer onboarding, conducts feedback sessions, and assists with scaling the team up or down. They also manage the engineers’ benefits and evaluate their performance.

YouTeam screens candidates for each position by assessing their technical skills, professional development goals, industry and product experience, English proficiency, and communication abilities. The platform offers standardized contracts that comply with local regulations and manages payroll automatically.

2. Arc

Arc.dev is an online platform that offers both permanent full-time artificial intelligence engineers and part-time freelancers. The company evaluates candidates for remote work compatibility, English proficiency, and communication skills. Candidates also go through a coding challenge or a tech interview. Arc claims that only 2.3% of registered developers pass technical and behavioral assessments before being offered to a client. In addition, the Arc team regularly reviews developer projects to ensure performance meets their standards.

3. Toptal

Toptal is a global network of software engineering and design talent. The company interviews its artificial intelligence developers for language proficiency, interpersonal skills, and problem-solving abilities. Each candidate undergoes live coding tests and completes a real-world project.

Toptal customers work with assigned industry experts who understand their goals, technical needs, and team dynamics. Each expert guides newly hired AI developers through a trial period to ensure they are the right fit before starting the engagement.

4. Turing

Turing is a hiring platform that offers full-time engineering contractors and managed teams. The platform features automatic time tracking, virtual daily stand-ups, and time zone management to provide hiring companies with greater visibility into the work of remote AI developers.

Turing evaluates its talent for English fluency, proficiency in machine learning algorithms, and understanding of probability and statistics. Each developer undergoes an automated work experience survey that includes questions in five areas: project impact, engineering excellence, communication, people, and direction.

Turing’s developers are required to have a 4-hour overlap with the client’s time zone to ensure successful communication.

In addition to hiring platforms, companies can visit Clutch to choose the right AI development partner based on their experience and completed projects. Businesses can also search for professional AI development services on LinkedIn by filtering results by location and industry.

Wrapping up

With AI developers and data scientists ranking among the top ten highest-paid developer roles in the United States, the demand for these professionals is set to grow. According to McKinsey’s latest report, 67% of companies plan to increase their investment in analytical or generative AI over the next three years.

In this article, we explored four leading hiring platforms that provide access to pre-vetted AI engineers and offer trial periods to ensure the right fit. Additionally, we provided an in-depth analysis of their skills and discussed interview questions that can effectively reveal an AI developer’s technical prowess.