Summary of "Highest Paying AI Career Tier List (AI Jobs Ranked)"

Summary: Highest Paying AI Career Tier List (AI Jobs Ranked)

This video ranks AI-related careers based on four criteria, each scored out of 20 points total:

Median US Salary (from levels.fyi)
AI Resilience (how safe the role is from automation)
Tech Accessibility (amount of coding required)
Barrier to Entry (difficulty of landing the job)

Jobs scoring 13 or above are considered A tier (top-tier roles), 11–12 points are B or C tier, and below 11 are D tier (entry-level or less future-proof).

Framework & Evaluation Criteria

Scoring system (max 20 points): salary, AI resilience, coding requirements, job competitiveness
Roles assessed for future-proofing against AI automation and accessibility to non-coders
Emphasis on balancing salary with job security and entry barriers

Key AI Career Roles & Insights

A Tier (Score ≥ 13)

Machine Learning Engineer
- Median Salary: ~$250,000 (highest on list)
- Role: Build AI systems at scale (e.g., Netflix recommendations, fraud detection)
- Challenges: Extremely competitive, requires strong coding and ML expertise
- Score: 13/20
- Recommendation: High reward but very difficult to enter
Security Engineer
- Median Salary: ~$218,000
- Role: Protect systems from cyber threats; requires creativity and adaptability as threats evolve
- AI Resilience: High due to complexity and evolving nature of threats
- Score: 13/20
- Strategic value: Growing importance with AI-driven security risks
Program Manager
- Median Salary: ~$181,000
- Role: Manage large initiatives/programs, strategic decision-making, balancing priorities
- AI Resilience: High due to complex human judgment and trade-offs
- Score: 15/20
- Recommendation: Good for those interested in leadership and strategic roles
Business Development
- Median Salary: ~$190,000
- Role: Build partnerships, drive revenue growth, requires relationship and negotiation skills
- AI Resilience: High due to human-centric skills (trust, motivation)
- Score: 13/20
- Emphasis: Relationship-driven, less technical
Developer Advocate
- Median Salary: ~$161,000
- Role: Bridge between company and developer community; marketing, education, community building
- Requires: Technical understanding + people skills
- Score: 13/20
- Niche role with marketing and community focus

B Tier (Score 12)

Data Scientist
- Median Salary: ~$170,000 (lowest in core AI group)
- Role: Extract business insights from data, guide decisions
- AI Resilience: Moderate; AI tools assist but human insight remains critical
- Score: 12/20
- Entry barrier: Moderate technical skills (Python, SQL, statistics)
- Recommendation: Accessible path into AI careers
System Engineer
- Median Salary: ~$140,000
- Role: Design and maintain complex computing systems (systems thinking)
- AI Resilience: High due to holistic thinking AI struggles with
- Score: 12/20
- Importance: Expected to grow as AI systems scale
Quality Assurance Engineer (QA)
- Median Salary: ~$140,000
- Role: Test software before release
- AI Resilience: Moderate to low as AI improves bug detection
- Score: 12/20
- Accessibility: Easier entry, less coding-heavy
Project Manager
- Median Salary: ~$135,000
- Role: Coordinate teams and deliverables
- AI Resilience: Moderate; scheduling may be automated but human coordination remains important
- Score: 12/20
- Recommendation: Good stepping stone for career pivots
User Researcher
- Median Salary: ~$120,000
- Role: Study user behavior and product interaction to provide insights
- AI Resilience: High due to relationship and human insight focus
- Score: 12/20
- Accessibility: Less coding, easier entry

C Tier (Score 11)

AI Researcher
- Median Salary: ~$168,000
- Role: Advance AI knowledge through research and publications
- AI Resilience: Very high (hard to automate innovation)
- Barrier: Extremely high (PhD, research experience)
- Score: 11/20
- Recommendation: Excellent security but very difficult to enter
AI Engineer
- Median Salary: ~$163,000
- Role: Turn AI models into usable products
- AI Resilience: High
- Barrier: High technical skills and competition
- Score: 11/20
Data Engineer
- Median Salary: ~$155,000
- Role: Build data infrastructure (pipelines, databases)
- AI Resilience: Moderate; some automation possible but design and maintenance needed
- Score: 11/20
- Barrier: Technical coding skills required
Prompt Engineer
- Median Salary: ~$135,000
- Role: Design inputs to optimize AI outputs
- AI Resilience: Low; role may be temporary as AI improves contextual understanding
- Score: 11/20
- Recommendation: Short-term opportunity

D Tier (Score < 11)

Technical Writer
- Median Salary: ~$126,000 (second lowest)
- Role: Documentation, user guides
- AI Resilience: Low; AI tools like ChatGPT can automate much of the work
- Score: 10/20
- Recommendation: Good entry-level role but limited long-term growth

Actionable Recommendations

Pursue A tier roles if you want high salary and future-proof careers, but be prepared for high competition and technical demands.
B tier roles offer a balance of accessibility and decent pay, suitable for those transitioning into AI or preferring less technical paths.
C tier roles are often highly technical or research-focused with high barriers to entry but strong security for those qualified.
Consider strategic and relationship-driven roles (Program Manager, Business Development) as AI-resistant and well-paid alternatives to purely technical jobs.
Be cautious about roles like Prompt Engineer or Technical Writer, which may be disrupted or replaced by AI advancements.

Key Metrics & Targets

Salary ranges: $120,000 (User Researcher) to $250,000 (Machine Learning Engineer)
Scoring threshold for top-tier (A tier): ≥13/20
Barrier to entry and coding requirements vary significantly, affecting job accessibility

Presenters / Source

The video presenter (unnamed) provides personal opinion-based rankings using data from levels.fyi and general industry knowledge.
Encourages viewer engagement and discussion in comments.

This summary provides a strategic overview for individuals and businesses considering AI career paths, highlighting where to focus skill development and recruitment efforts based on future-proofing and compensation.