"Offering an Annual Salary of 1.2 Billion Won"... AI Expert with Skyrocketing Value Even in the US

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Competition among American companies to secure artificial intelligence (AI) talent is intensifying. Some companies are reportedly offering annual salaries exceeding 1 billion won, according to the US financial media outlet The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

On the 14th (local time), WSJ reported that companies across various sectors including retail, finance, and entertainment are increasingly hiring AI experts. Last month, the video streaming platform 'Netflix' attracted industry attention by posting a job opening for AI specialists with a salary offer of $900,000 (approximately 1.2 billion won).

At the time, the Hollywood Writers Guild, which was on strike, criticized Netflix's move, stating, "An annual income of $900,000 could provide health insurance for 35 actors and their families," and added, "It is appalling to give that amount to just one person in the AI department."

Competition for hiring AI engineers among American companies is intensifying.

According to the job posting on Netflix's website, AI specialists are responsible for "supporting AI practitioners to easily develop, deploy, and improve related AI models."

Unlike industry leaders such as Google DeepMind, OpenAI, and Meta, general companies rarely build or train AI models directly. Instead, their main tasks involve processing and adapting pre-existing models to suit the business's purposes.

However, these tasks still require many engineers with substantial practical experience and knowledge related to AI. WSJ reported that not only Netflix but also other large corporations are eager to secure AI experts, causing the market value of AI engineers to soar.

For example, Walmart offered up to $252,000 (approximately 330 million won) annually for a 'Conversational AI Specialist.' Investment bank Goldman Sachs also offers up to $250,000 for generative AI engineers.

Walmart, Goldman Sachs, and others offer AI engineers an annual salary of 300 to 400 million KRW.

The US real estate company JLL promised top compensation in the industry but expressed difficulties during recruitment, as AI engineers asked, "Why should I come to the real estate sector?"

A company representative emphasized, "Our company has asset data accumulated over decades," adding, "It can be used to train AI models that support building management, energy management, and pricing."

Currently, mid-level managers in the AI industry are reportedly scarce. This is because such talent must be proficient in essential skills like mathematics, statistics, programming, and engineering, while also possessing expertise in their respective industries, making them hard to find.

IT consulting firm Accenture told WSJ, "We are hiring AI personnel across all fields," and noted that salaries for these positions can reach up to $338,300 (approximately 450 million won).