AI & Machine Learning Jobs in Chicago, IL

What does the ai & machine learning market look like in Chicago, IL?

204 ai & machine learning positions across 124 companies. That's 23% of all jobs in Chicago, IL. 58 (28%) are remote-friendly.

Top ai & machine learning employers in Chicago, IL

Most common ai & machine learning titles

What do AI & Machine Learning roles pay in Chicago, IL?

$147k median based on 159 roles with published salary data.

AI & Machine Learning jobs in Chicago, IL: the overview

If you are searching for AI and machine learning work in Chicago, the numbers below are a good place to start. There are 204 open AI and machine learning roles in Chicago, IL across 124 companies in our current dataset. Of those, 58 (28%) are tagged remote-friendly, so you are not limited to candidates who can be in the office five days a week.

Day to day, AI and machine learning work in Chicago, IL means taking a research idea into production and keeping it reliable once real traffic hits it. The specifics change with the company and the seniority of the role, but that core stays the same whether you land at Amazon Web Services or a smaller firm posting one seat at a time.

Seniority of ai & machine learning roles in Chicago, IL

Where the 204 openings sit by level. The biggest single band is senior at 34% of listings, which tells you where the Chicago market is densest for this category.

• Entry Level: 15 roles (14%)
• Mid-Level: 21 roles (20%)
• Senior: 36 roles (34%)
• Director: 22 roles (21%)
• VP & Above: 9 roles (9%)
• C-Level: 2 roles (2%)

How to read the ai & machine learning pay numbers in Chicago, IL

Behind the $147k median are 159 Chicago, IL listings that disclosed salary, ranging from $31k up to $445k. That spread is wide on purpose: it covers entry-level seats and senior roles in the same category. AI listings skew high because the supply of qualified candidates is thin. Roles that mention production deployment, not just research, command the top of the band.

Treat the median as the realistic number. The high end usually reflects a single senior posting, and local pay in Chicago tracks the cost of living more than the headline figure suggests. Chicago pay tends to move with the local cost of living, so a national average can mislead either direction.

Skills that ai & machine learning employers in Chicago, IL look for

Hiring managers in Chicago tend to screen for the same core skills for AI and machine learning roles:

You will not need every one for every job, but a posting that lists three or four of these is the norm. The single most-posted title here is GTM Acceleration Lead, Applied AI Solutions, so tailoring your profile toward that role pays off in Chicago.

Who is hiring for ai & machine learning in Chicago, IL

The shape of the Chicago market matters as much as the headcount. The AI and machine learning roles in Chicago, IL concentrate in a few industries: Technology, Professional Services, Finance & Banking, and Retail & E-Commerce. That mix is worth noting, because the same job title pays and operates differently inside a technology company than it does elsewhere. Amazon Web Services alone accounts for 16 of the open AI and machine learning seats (8% of the category), so a single large employer can shape the local market.

These 204 roles make up a real slice of Chicago, IL hiring. The fastest way in is rarely the apply button. Referred candidates get hired at roughly four times the rate of cold applicants, which is why matching openings to people you already know beats blasting applications.

Career path for ai & machine learning roles

The career ladder for AI and machine learning roles is well worn. A typical climb in Chicago, IL runs roughly:

1. ML or Data Engineer
2. Machine Learning Engineer
3. Senior ML Engineer
4. Staff or Principal Engineer
5. Head of AI

Few people walk every rung in order. Lateral moves between companies, especially toward a larger employer like Amazon Web Services, are how most people in Chicago jump a level faster than waiting for an internal promotion.

Why a referral beats a cold application in Chicago, IL

The bottleneck for AI and machine learning seekers in Chicago is rarely the number of openings. 124 companies are posting AI and machine learning roles here, and the strongest of those 204 openings draw dozens of applicants each. A referred candidate gets hired at roughly four times the rate of someone who applies cold, because the resume lands on a hiring manager's desk with a name attached. At a company like Amazon Web Services, with 16 AI and machine learning seats open, a single warm introduction can move you past the resume pile.

That is the angle InsideTrack is built around. Upload your LinkedIn connections once, and we match them against the 204 AI and machine learning openings in Chicago, IL so you can see exactly which of these companies already has someone you know. Start with the full Chicago board or browse other cities if you are open to relocating.

Common questions about ai & machine learning jobs in Chicago, IL

AI & Machine Learning jobs in other cities