Want an AI Job? These Are The Most AI-ready European Locations

Careers in AI, ML and computer vision aren’t the only career paths experiencing demand, but for casual observers, 2023 has undisputedly been all about artificial intelligence, and specifically generative AI.

ChatGPT, aka the poster child of generative AI, set a new record upon reaching 100 million monthly active users in January, just two months after launch. That made it the fastest-growing consumer application in history, according to a UBS study.

People are clearly using AI tools, but there is still a conflict for workers around this. On the one hand, they’re not even sure they should be using them, with data from an Advertising Week Europe survey finding that over a third of employees were afraid to tell their manager they were using AI at work. 

Younger workers are worrying more about the issue, with 42 percent of Gen Z and 40 percent of millennials feeling this way. 

It’s not hard to draw a couple of conclusions here. AI anxiety is on the rise and as of yet, many companies don’t have clear-cut approaches or policies in place for using AI, so workers are afraid they are doing something wrong.

Workers are concerned

But more telling is the fact that 49 precent of workers fear they will lose their jobs to AI, according to a recent study from Microsoft.

They’re not wrong to be concerned, as according to a report from McKinsey, AI is expected to create 20 to 50 million new jobs globally by 2030. New jobs will emerge across tech, healthcare, manufacturing, and finance and include AI trainers and teachers, data analysts and scientists, human-machine teaming managers, and AI ethics and policy specialists.

A recent report from IBM’s Institute for Business Value (IBM IBV) says that “AI won’t replace people—but people who use AI will replace people who don’t”, and the Institute also found that  four out of five executives say generative AI will change employee roles and skills.

Globally, leading the way in terms of their AI research are China, the US, and Japan. China intends to become “a principal world center of artificial intelligence innovation” by 2030, and the US’ research technology knowledge and business market power places it in pole position also.

AI-ready European locations

So where are the best places to work in AI across Europe? For those eager to either transition into an AI-focused role or move to one in which they can showcase their existing flair with generative AI tools, the bloc offers rich opportunities. 

Despite its secession from the EU, the UK is the European leader in developing AI technologies. The government is developing a “pro-innovation approach” to AI regulation and is already home to a number of leading companies including Google DeepMind, Anthropic, an AI safety and research company, and big data company Palantir.

In London, Citi is seeking a Senior AI Research Engineer to seize the opportunity to explore generative AI, machine learning and its real-world applications at scale. You’ll also rapidly prototype ideas, approaches and methods in the AI space, and read, implement and improve the latest papers in the AI field.

According to software company Tipalti, Germany and France tie at 4.4 percent for the number of AI tools developed in their territories. Germany’s Userlike, which offers AI chatbots, is one such success story.

The country has a strong educational underpinning too, with institutions such as the Technical University of Munich and Deggendorf Institute of Technology offering AI, ML, robotics and data science courses for example.

The IU Internationale Hochschule, based in Munich, is offering a remote position for a Senior NLP Specialist. Here, you’ll collaborate closely with business and academic units to create well-fitting solutions in the field of Natural Language Processing, and take a leading role in the engineering and evaluation of AI and NLP solutions for high availability and reliability, and will oversee their deployment on analytics infrastructure.

Paris is the place to be for those working in the sector. Not only does Europe have a 30 precent higher concentration of AI experts than the U.S., according to data from Sequoia’s Atlas tool, and the city of light comes in second after London.

The data found that Paris is home to 3.81 percent of AI tech talent, comparing favorably to Zurich (2.9 percent), Berlin (2.65 percent) and Madrid (2.23 percent). 

If you want to work here, BNP Paribas has an opening for a Data Scientist – Quant Research Analyst in Paris. You will use machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques to improve and develop quantitative strategies where required, bringing your quantitative investment expertise to create strategies that work.

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Lead image: Ellery Sterling