Artificial intelligence and automation are changing the types of skills needed for fast-growing engineering roles. Candidates with strong skills and experience in technical AI and cloud infrastructure are being hired rapidly, as these fields are projected to grow over the next decade in parallel with AI integrations across all industries.
AI’s impact on engineering
Globally, companies are racing to implement AI to enhance their competitiveness and automate repetitive tasks. This means employers are desperate for top engineers who can manage the integration and infrastructure needed for this brand-new, rapidly evolving technology.
According to PwC’s 2025 Global AI Jobs Barometer, 100% of industries are increasing AI usage, including industries not typically associated with AI, such as agriculture and mining. Moreover, workers with AI skills, especially engineers, are so valuable to employers that they are offering up to a 56% wage premium, 25% higher than in 2024. On average, wages for workers with AI skills are significantly higher than for those without AI skills.
For aspiring engineers, this is good news. With the right AI skills, they can expect a growing field, higher wages, and plenty of opportunities. However, it’s crucial for engineers to understand exactly what skills employers are looking for in order to secure one of these top engineering roles.
Top AI skills for engineers
Engineers looking to break into AI and automation need to understand which skills employers value most so they can stand out and become highly sought-after candidates. Here are the top five skills engineers should prioritize in the AI era:
- Debugging and reverse engineering: debugging software and using reverse engineering to solve complex problems have remained among the most distinctive human strengths in the AI era. Working backward requires deep knowledge of the entire system and intense attention to detail. Additionally, engineers need to be able to address pain points with a high level of critical thinking and technical understanding to make the system better, faster, and smarter.
- AI security: With the emergence of groundbreaking technologies like AI come new security vulnerabilities. Employers want engineers who can not only implement AI systems, but also secure them to maintain their competitive advantage. As AI relies on large amounts of data to function, it is essential that engineers understand how to properly protect information from unexpected breaches and data leaks.
- AI architecture: AI excels at understanding independent features and components but often struggles to grasp the “big picture,” or context. Context is the understanding of how individual components work together within a whole system, a unique skill that humans possess. Engineers who understand the entire system and how each individual part functions are crucial to many employers, who need engineers who can analyze the whole system for overall coherence and appropriateness.
- Communication: Strong communication skills remain among the most sought-after skills in the AI era. Engineers who can understand high-level technical concepts and translate them for non-engineers in effective, meaningful ways are essential to keeping projects running smoothly and avoiding miscommunication. Additionally, engineers who can communicate effectively with AI models to produce refined output that addresses the models’ strengths and weaknesses are critical to the evolution and advancement of the technology.
- Innovation and lifelong learning: Engineers are natural forward-thinkers, constantly seeking innovative ways to solve problems. As AI continues to develop, engineers who can think ahead and create systems that are better, faster, more effective, and easier to use will be the most valuable and highly desired employees for companies aiming to be at the top of their industry.
How to highlight AI skills on an engineering resume
AI skills will do aspiring engineers no good if hiring managers don’t know about them. That’s why it’s equally important to showcase these skills on your resume. Two of the easiest ways to do this are to highlight AI skills in a designated “Skills” section of your resume or to highlight them within your previous work experience.
By highlighting AI skills in a dedicated “Skills” section of your resume, the hiring manager can get a clear view of the hard and soft skills you possess that directly align with the skills they need. Oftentimes, when candidates take this approach in their resume, they can describe the exact tools, languages, and platforms they have experience with, which can help employers quickly determine whether it’s a match.
By highlighting AI skills in your previous work experience, you can describe how those skills contributed to the company overall, which is highly valuable to employers looking to drive business growth. This approach is recommended for candidates who may not have advanced technical AI skills but still possess a solid understanding of AI and machine learning systems.
Regardless of how you choose to showcase your AI skills, engineers who understand AI and automation are poised for plentiful opportunities for higher wages, career growth, and job stability over the next decade, making them essential to organizational success.