Introduction to AI Salaries
The salaries of AI researchers have been making headlines lately, with some earning upwards of $1 million per month. To put this into perspective, let’s take a look at the salaries of some of the most iconic figures in the history of space exploration.
Space Race Salaries
The Apollo program offers a striking comparison. Neil Armstrong, the first human to walk on the moon, earned about $27,000 annually—roughly $244,639 in today’s money. His crewmates Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins made even less, earning the equivalent of $168,737 and $155,373, respectively, in today’s dollars. Current NASA astronauts earn between $104,898 and $161,141 per year. Meta’s AI researcher will make more in three days than Armstrong made in a year for taking "one giant leap for mankind."
Engineer Salaries in the Apollo Program
The engineers who designed the rockets and mission control systems for the Apollo program also earned modest salaries by modern standards. A 1970 NASA technical report provides a window into these earnings by analyzing salary data for the entire engineering profession. According to a chart in the 1970 report, a newly graduated engineer in 1966 started with an annual salary of between $8,500 and $10,000 (about $84,622 to $99,555 today). A typical engineer with a decade of experience earned around $17,000 annually ($169,244 today). Even the most elite, top-performing engineers with 20 years of experience peaked at a salary of around $278,000 per year in today’s dollars—a sum that a top AI researcher like Deitke can now earn in just a few days.
Why the AI Talent Market is Different
This isn’t the first time technical talent has commanded premium prices. In 2012, after three University of Toronto academics published AI research, they auctioned themselves to Google for $44 million (about $62.6 million in today’s dollars). By 2014, a Microsoft executive was comparing AI researcher salaries to NFL quarterback contracts. But today’s numbers dwarf even those precedents.
Factors Contributing to the Compensation Explosion
Several factors explain this unprecedented compensation explosion. We’re in a new realm of industrial wealth concentration unseen since the Gilded Age of the late 19th century. Unlike previous scientific endeavors, today’s AI race features multiple companies with trillion-dollar valuations competing for an extremely limited talent pool. Only a small number of researchers have the specific expertise needed to work on the most capable AI systems, particularly in areas like multimodal AI, which Deitke specializes in. And AI hype is currently off the charts as "the next big thing" in technology.
Conclusion
The salaries of AI researchers are a testament to the high demand and limited supply of top talent in the field. As companies continue to compete for the best researchers, we can expect to see even higher salaries in the future. The AI talent market is unique in its combination of high demand, limited supply, and extreme wealth concentration, making it a fascinating area to watch in the coming years.
FAQs
Q: How much do AI researchers earn?
A: Top AI researchers can earn upwards of $1 million per month, with some earning more in three days than Neil Armstrong made in a year.
Q: How do AI researcher salaries compare to those of NASA astronauts?
A: Meta’s AI researcher will make more in three days than a NASA astronaut earns in a year.
Q: What factors contribute to the high salaries of AI researchers?
A: The high demand and limited supply of top talent, combined with the extreme wealth concentration of companies competing for AI researchers, drive up salaries.
Q: Is this the first time technical talent has commanded high prices?
A: No, but today’s numbers dwarf previous precedents, with top AI researchers earning more than NFL quarterback contracts.
