AI Engineer Salary in India 2026: Freshers vs Experienced Breakdown

AI engineers are no longer limited to mechanical tools and machines. They are now designing intelligent systems, training the algorithms, and even building the future. Based on the reports from NASSCOM, the need for AI experts in India has surged more than 40% every year. This clearly shows how valuable AI engineers are across various sectors. 

This blog shares some deep insights into the AI engineer salary between experienced individuals and freshers. It also highlights the leading cities and even sectors where AI experts are in much higher demand. 

AI Engineer Salary for Freshers in 2026

AI engineering provides lucrative employment opportunities in the nation. The average income of an AI engineer is between ₹6 Lakhs and ₹12 Lakhs yearly. This particular figure represents the midpoint, which means that many AI professionals earn a lot more based on their expertise, location and experience. Freshers might begin with a lower package, while the senior specialists typically receive much higher salaries. 

Top Cities Offering the Best Packages

The income of all the AI engineers differs greatly based on the location. Tech hubs, such as Hyderabad and Bengaluru, provide a much higher income due to the presence of many multinational organisations, research centres, etc. The table below will offer a proper insight:

Entry-Level Job Roles and Pay 

When looking for job roles under an artificial intelligence engineer, candidates will find some unique ones. The table below will give a clear insight into the various job positions that fall under the AI engineer and their respective income:

Also Read: From Online BCA to AI Engineer: How to Future-Proof Students’ Tech Career

AI Engineer Salary for Experienced Professionals in 2026

All highly experienced AI engineers earn a lot more than the freshers. Their income is based on their job position and years of experience. Let’s find out in detail: 

Mid-Level AI Engineers Salaries (4 to 6 Years)

All mid-level AI engineers have an income that ranges between ₹2.02 Lakhs to ₹2.43 Lakhs (₹16,850 to ₹24,300 per month). Their day-to-day responsibilities focus on enhancing and building AI systems for organisations. They also handle other tasks, such as implementing AI-based solutions and designing ML models. Specialising in different areas like NLP (natural language processing), which enables them to earn much higher incomes. 

Furthermore, the mid-level AI engineers consist of various positions, and the table below will provide information about these positions and their incomes: 

Senior-Level AI Engineer Salaries (7 to 9 Years)

The senior-level AI engineers who have experience between 7 and 9 years earn a much higher income compared to the mid-level ones. They also receive extra bonuses, and such compensations reflect on their highly advanced technical skills and leadership responsibilities. When these engineers are granted higher job positions, their work becomes a lot more strategic. 

They also concentrate on creating complex AI systems that can resolve all business challenges. As senior AI engineers, they can also assist their teams in making informed decisions that align with the company's objectives.  

Below are the senior-level AI engineer job positions and their annual income:

AI Engineer Salary by Industry

The income of all the AI engineers differs based on the industry, resource availability, the complexity of the projects, and the demand. 

IT Services & Consulting 

AI engineers who work in the IT services and consulting sector earn an income between ₹2 Lakhs and ₹2.4 Lakhs at an entry-level position. They normally handle projects with enterprise clients, such as those at TCS and Accenture.

Product-Based Tech Companies

AI-based engineers who work at all the product-based tech firms earn between ₹14 and ₹25 Lakhs annually. Reputed companies, such as emerging AI-first organisations, Amazon, and even Google, place a lot more emphasis on AI and ML specialists. A Lead Machine Learning Engineer earns up to ₹19 Lakhs to ₹48 Lakhs annually.

BFSI (Finance & Insurance)

AI specialists who work in this specific sector earn an annual income of ₹4.4 Lakhs to ₹38 Lakhs, and the average yearly income stands at ₹22.3 Lakhs. The income might also increase based on the high stakes and the given complexity in these sectors. 

Healthcare & Pharma 

In this specific sector, AI engineers, with 1 to 2 years of experience, earn up to ₹9.8 Lakhs to ₹15 Lakhs. The average annual income for AI professionals working in this industry is ₹13.1 Lakhs. However, job positions that need domain knowledge in Biotech AI or diagnostics can lead to much higher income. 

Startups & Emerging AI Firms

All the AI-first and early-stage organisations typically display much larger variability. It’s because many startups offer an income between ₹6 Lakhs and ₹42.5 Lakhs annually. When the experience is higher, the income in these sectors will also be much higher. 

Conclusion

In India, AI engineering has become a fast-growing field that comes with competitive compensation. Over time, it increases greatly with location, specialisation, experience and even industry. Freshers can earn from ₹5 to ₹8 Lakhs yearly, which can increase to ₹50 LPA when candidates search for senior-level job positions. 

However, to become an AI engineer, it’s crucial to acquire a solid understanding of the AI field. This is where institutes like Amity University Online come in. Amity offers online programmes like BCA and MCA with specialisation in ML and AI, which are crafted to boost all technical skills. Candidates will also receive career services to support networking and placement opportunities. All these offers can be pretty useful to elevate career readiness and the income trajectory within the nation’s growing AI domain.

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