(9).webp)
AI Safety Job Salaries Across Different Roles
Get insights into AI safety salaries across roles, regions, and experience levels to help plan your career.
How much do AI safety professionals earn?
AI Safety Research Scientist
Conducts research on safe & aligned AI development, earning $115,000–180,000.
.svg)
AI Safety Engineer
Builds safety-focused infrastructure & tools for monitoring systems, earning $105,000–165,000.
What You Need to Know
How much does an AI safety engineer make in the US?
Mid-career AI safety engineers typically earn around USD 120,000 to 130,000 a year. For example, Indeed.com reports a Center for AI Safety research engineer at about USD 128,119. Earnings vary by location and experience.
What do AI safety researchers earn?
Experienced AI safety researchers often make USD 150,000 to 250,000 annually. For instance, Anthropic – a leading AI safety lab - reports a median compensation of USD 212,500. Compensation at top tech firms commonly exceeds six figures.
How much do entry-level AI safety jobs pay?
Entry-level AI safety roles (such as junior engineers or analysts) generally start around USD 700,00 to 900,00 a year. As an example, U.S. entry-level AI Ethics Officers earn roughly USD 810,00 to 109,000. Earnings depend on the employer and location.
What do senior AI safety positions pay?
Senior AI safety roles pay well above USD 150,000 a year. For example, the Center for AI Safety lists a COO salary of about USD 273,871. Lead researchers or engineers at AI firms often exceed USD 200,000 (e.g., median of $212.5K at Anthropic).
What is the typical salary for AI policy/governance roles?
AI policy and governance jobs (non-technical) usually pay around USD 900,00 to 120,000. Indeed.com data show that a Senior Policy Analyst at an AI policy organization averages about USD 108,000 a year; while a policy analyst earns roughly USD 950,00.
How do AI safety salaries compare between industry and government?
Industry AI safety earnings are much higher than government pay. For example, Bay Area software engineers (and safety roles) have a median pay of around USD 222,000 per year; Government AI jobs top out near USD 800,00 to 120,000 (e.g., a UK AI safety lead at ~USD 82.7K). In short, tech companies often pay 2–5× more.
Which AI safety jobs are the highest-paying?
The highest-paying AI safety jobs are senior roles in big tech. For instance, OpenAI’s median total salary is about USD 560,000 (including equity); Anthropic’s median is USD 212.5K. Executive positions in AI safety organizations can also reach mid-six figures (e.g.USD 274,000 COO).
What is the salary range for AI safety projects or program managers?
AI safety project managers typically earn around USD 900,00 to 110,000 per year. Indeed lists a Center for AI Safety project manager's pay of about USD 980,58. Senior program directors or directors would earn more (often USD 130,000+).
.svg)
