Career Planning

Best Paid AI Internships for College Students

College students pursuing an AI degree can gain a major career advantage by completing a paid AI internship before graduation.

Shawna Newman

February 26, 2026

Best Paid AI Internships for College Students
Explore paid AI internships at companies like Google, NASA, and Microsoft to launch a career in artificial intelligence.
Landing a paid AI internship will not only be impactful for you in the moment, but in the long run as well. An AI internship can open a pathway to artificial intelligence careers that is robust and meaningful. You’ll develop technical skills, build industry connections, and walk away with marketable experience on your resume. As artificial intelligence continues to evolve and dominate the technological landscape, so too do the opportunities.

Why AI Internships are Essential to Your Career

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts that artificial intelligence careers will increase by 17.9% over the next 10 years. To provide some perspective, the average career growth for high-demand careers is only 4%. Not only are employers looking for skilled AI degree holders now, but they will be recruiting them for years to come. Oftentimes, internships become full-time job offers. To stand out from the pool, it’s vital to complete at least one, preferably two, AI internships. Beyond the potential job offer, an AI internship will help you: • Apply classroom knowledge to real business problems. • Build hard skills in Python, machine learning, and cloud computing. • Strengthen soft skills, like communication, collaboration, and problem-solving. • Grow your professional network in the AI and tech industry.

Paid AI Internships

We've gathered a list of the best AI internships for college students internships for college students. See what companies are looking for AI or AI-related interns below:

IBM Computer Science AI Reasoning Foundations Internship-PAID

The IBM Computer Science AI Reasoning Foundations Internship is available to students pursuing a master's degree or PhD coursework in AI/ML/math/CS, such as AI architectures, foundation models, and reasoning. To be considered for this internship, you should have experience implementing AI algorithms in Python and an interest in one or more topics: AI reasoning, symbolic and neuro-symbolic AI methods. This role is offered in multiple locations.

Microsoft Data Science PhD Internship-PAID

The Microsoft Data Science PhD Internship is available to students pursuing a doctorate in data science, mathematics, statistics, econometrics, economics, operations research, computer science, or a related field. As an intern, you will use machine learning, statistics, experiments, and more to build and improve great products while making a business impact. As a Data Scientist intern, you will collaborate with stakeholders, formulate approaches to solve problems, and use algorithms and data sources in the context of business and engineering needs. You will also be able to combine your engineering abilities with analytical skills to make customer experiences better. This internship is offered in Mountain View, CA.

Shield AI Software Engineering Internship-PAID

The Shield AI Software Engineering Internship is available to upper-division undergraduate and graduate students pursuing a degree in computer science, systems engineering, software engineering, or a related STEM field. To be considered for this opportunity, you should possess a strong understanding of fundamental engineering concepts, including electrical and mechanical engineering, programming, physics, and mathematics. You should also have experience working on multidisciplinary hardware development projects, from an internship, job, club, team, personal project, etc. As an intern, you will collaborate with industry-leading AI and software engineers to design and implement software products. You will assist in creating software infrastructure that allows for rapid development of new test cases, utilizing common code wherever possible. With a mentor to guide you, you will also solve novel challenges in AI product development involving sensors, autonomous flights, and robotics integration. This role is offered in Dallas, TX.

Hugging Face Machine Learning Engineer Remote Internship-PAID

The Hugging Face Machine Learning Engineer Remote Internship is available to students passionate about open source and making advanced ML tools accessible. To be considered for this opportunity, you should have experience using modern deep learning libraries and LLM APIs and understanding tradeoffs between different models and APIs. You should have knowledge of how to fine-tune LLMs, create retrieval-augmented generation pipelines, and use re-rankers for two-stage retrieval. You should also be comfortable exploring and contributing to a codebase consisting of Python and Svelte-flavored JavaScript. As an intern, you will help expand current efforts with a suite of AI tools to help users quickly understand and write Gradio code. This includes the "playground," a code editor on our website that generates or updates complete Gradio demos based on a user's query. This internship is offered on a remote basis.

C3.ai Data Science Internship-PAID

The C3.ai Data Science Internship is available to students pursuing an MS or PhD in computer science, electrical engineering, statistics, or an equivalent field. To be considered for this role, you should have experience with applied machine learning, prototyping languages such as Python and R, and scalable ML. As an intern, you will work with some of the world's largest companies, helping them build the next generation of AI-powered enterprise applications on the C3 AI Suite. You will work directly with data scientists, software engineers, and subject matter experts in the definition of new analytics capabilities to provide our customers with the information they need to make proper decisions and enable their digital transformation. You will help find the appropriate machine learning/data mining algorithms to answer those questions and implement them on the C3 AI Suite so they can run at scale. This internship is offered in Redwood City, CA, during the summer.

Tempus Generative AI Summer Analyst Internship-PAID

The Tempus Generative AI Summer Analyst Internship is available to undergraduate students pursuing a degree in biological sciences, biotechnology, or a related field. To be considered for this opportunity, you should be strongly interested in pursuing an MD/PhD program focusing on leveraging technology and data science in healthcare. You should also be proficient in data analysis tools such as R, Python, and Excel. As an intern, you may support projects such as White-Glove Agent Development, Gen AI Commercial Go-To-Market (GTM) Efforts, or Gen AI Evangelism and Thought Leadership. This internship is offered in Chicago, IL, as a hybrid role.

BAE GXP Software Engineering Internship-PAID

The BAE GXP Software Engineering Internship is available to upper-division undergraduate students and graduate students of any level pursuing a degree in computer science, computer engineering, software engineering, or a related field. To be considered for this opportunity, you should have knowledge of data structures and object-oriented programming and be familiar with one of the following languages: Java, C++, or JavaScript. Preference will be given to applicants who have experience with computer vision/machine learning/GIS packages, Agile-based software development, front/back end development tools, infrastructure/DevOps tools, or databases. As an intern, your daily tasks may include developing new code, resolving critical problems, improving system stability and resilience, and more. You will also have the opportunity to network with other interns, receive valuable mentorship, build relationships, participate in on-site lunches with leadership, help organize a summer fundraiser for a non-profit, and have fun at off-site activities such as escape rooms, bowling nights, or an outing to watch the San Diego Padres play at Petco Park.

Girls Who Code Lead Teaching Assistant Remote Summer Internship-PAID

The Girls Who Code Lead Teaching Assistant Remote Summer Internship is available to female sophomore and junior-level undergraduate students at least 18 years of age pursuing a degree in computer science or a related field. To be considered for this internship, you should have experience with at least one programming language: p5.js, Python or JavaScript preferred. You should also be coachable, model a growth mindset, and possess strong time management skills. As an intern, you will be the first line of support for the classroom instructor in logistical tasks. You will maintain an exciting, engaging, and accessible virtual classroom environment for a highly diverse group of 50-60 high school students. You will serve as a model for the other Teaching Assistants (TAs) on the team and take the lead on initial TA-led lessons. Additionally, you will support the instructor with administrative tasks, including taking attendance, administering programmatic surveys to students, and promptly completing daily and end-of-program surveys. This opportunity is offered during the summer on a fully remote basis.

Girls Who Code Teaching Assistant Remote Summer Internship-PAID

The Girls Who Code Teaching Assistant Remote Summer Internship is available to female sophomore and junior-level undergraduate students at least 18 years of age pursuing a degree in computer science or a related field. To be considered for this internship, you should have experience with at least one programming language: p5.js, Python or JavaScript preferred. You should also be coachable, model a growth mindset, and possess strong time management skills. As an intern, you will be the first line of support for the classroom instructor in logistical tasks. You will maintain an exciting, engaging, and accessible virtual classroom environment for a highly diverse group of 50-60 high school students. Additionally, you will support the instructor with administrative tasks, including taking attendance, administering programmatic surveys to students, and promptly completing daily and end-of-program surveys. This opportunity is offered during the summer on a fully remote basis.

NASA Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning for NASA Science Internship-PAID

The NASA Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning for NASA Science Internship is available to upper-division undergraduate and graduate students majoring in computer science, computer engineering, and related fields. To be considered for this role, you should be knowledgeable about programming (Python), agile methodology, and cloud computing. Additionally, you must be a U.S. citizen. As an intern, you will utilize machine learning/deep learning techniques in large archives of NASA science data and unstructured data. The problem will include extracting information from these data and creating a knowledge base for intelligent querying. This internship is offered in Huntsville, AL, during the summer.

Career Paths for Artificial Intelligence Degrees

AI jobs are growing extremely fast, creating many new career opportunities. According to Dice.com, global artificial intelligence is expected to grow at 37% by 2030. Additionally, engineering and computer science majors are some of the college majors with the highest-paying jobs.

Data Analyst

Data analysts gather data and review and present their findings with reports. Data reports identify patterns and drive informed business decisions. Data analyst jobs are diverse; career paths may include finance, marketing, research, etc. Job titles include: Junior Data Analyst Data Engineer Business Data Analyst Data Scientist Computer Research Scientist Data Scientist Chief Data Officer

Software Engineer

Software engineers create, develop, and update software applications using code or program languages. They are responsible for keeping notes on changes and issues, fixing software bugs, and more. Working in teams, staying ahead of the latest technology trends, creative problem-solving, and collaborating are important skills for software engineers. Job titles for software engineers include: Junior Software Engineer Junior AI Engineer Senior Software Engineer AI Engineer Software Architect Full Stack Developer DevOps Engineer Data Engineer Gaming Engineer Chief Technology Officer The job market for AI careers is just beginning to boom! Many companies use internships to find and train potential future employees. Performing well as an AI intern can significantly increase your chances of receiving a job offer.

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Shawna Newman

Managing Editor, Contributing Writer

Shawna Newman covers various topics related to post-secondary education, including trade schools, the military, and college. She details strategies for paying for school, such as scholarships, financial ai...

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