Key Takeaways
- Python leads demand, appearing in 2,267 postings (20% of all roles).
- The overall median max salary is $214K. Skills like Pytorch command the highest premiums.
- Skill co-occurrence data shows employers expect multi-skill engineers, not single-tool specialists.
- Different role categories have meaningfully different skill profiles, so target your learning accordingly.
Top 20 Skills by Demand
The most frequently requested skills across 11,520 AI job postings, ranked by number of appearances.
Skill Salary Premiums
How each skill affects posted salary compared to the overall median of $214K. Positive premiums mean jobs requesting this skill post higher salaries.
| Skill | Median Salary | vs Overall | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pytorch | $221K | +3% | 437 |
| Tensorflow | $215K | +1% | 326 |
| Kubernetes | $215K | +0% | 408 |
| Gcp | $210K | -2% | 512 |
| Gemini | $210K | -2% | 185 |
| Anthropic | $205K | -4% | 150 |
| Python | $205K | -4% | 1,650 |
| Typescript | $204K | -5% | 256 |
| Aws | $204K | -5% | 869 |
| Rag | $199K | -7% | 647 |
| Bedrock | $198K | -7% | 186 |
| Docker | $193K | -10% | 315 |
| Azure | $192K | -10% | 678 |
| Langchain | $191K | -11% | 255 |
| Claude | $190K | -11% | 377 |
| Openai | $187K | -13% | 290 |
| Prompt Engineering | $184K | -14% | 346 |
| Embeddings | $183K | -14% | 204 |
| Javascript | $176K | -18% | 198 |
| Power Bi | $175K | -18% | 135 |
Skill Clusters
Skills that appear together most often in job postings. These pairings signal which skill combinations employers look for.
Skills by Role
The top 5 most requested skills for each major AI role category.
| Role | Top Skills |
|---|---|
| AI/ML Engineer | Python Aws Azure Rag Gcp |
| AI Software Engineer | Python Aws Typescript Rag Gcp |
| AI Product Manager | Aws Rag Python Claude Azure |
| Data Scientist | Python Aws Azure Pytorch Gcp |
| Research Engineer | Python Pytorch Tensorflow Jax Kubernetes |
| Research Scientist | Python Tensorflow Pytorch Aws Rag |
| MLOps Engineer | Python Kubernetes Mlflow Aws Docker |
| AI Architect | Rag Python Azure Aws Gcp |
What This Means for Your Career
The data in this report points to actionable steps for AI professionals at every level. If you are entering the field, focus on the skills and role types showing the strongest demand growth. For mid-career engineers, the salary premiums and skill clusters above highlight where specialization pays off most. Senior practitioners should watch the company-level trends to identify where AI investment is accelerating and position themselves accordingly.
Methodology: This analysis is based on 11,520 AI job postings collected by AI Pulse in October 2026. Data is sourced from Indeed and company career pages. Only postings with disclosed salary information are included in compensation analyses.
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Rome Thorndike
Rome Thorndike is the CEO & Founder of Provyx, which provides GTM intelligence and data validation for healthcare companies, including EngagedMD and BTL Industries. He writes The AI News Digest for over 3,000 subscribers and previously led revenue at AI data company Firmograph.
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