AI positions with an annual salary of millions and the "screw" of artificial intelligence profession

As the first month of 2025 draws to a close, the legendary story of DeepSeek continues to reach its climax.

On February 26th, on the third day of Open Source Week, DeepSeek announced the opening of the efficient FP8 GEMM library DeepGEMM. Algorithms are the focus of DeepSeek's own attention; For the outside world, everything related to DeepSeek has become the focus, especially the development and changes of the industry, as well as talent and compensation.

Undoubtedly, the trend of AI and artificial intelligence is irreversible, and the story of Hangzhou is like a Rubik's Cube, attracting various cities. To become and surpass Hangzhou, the first thing we need is talent. A wave of competition for AI talents has swept across various regions, and the topic of jobs with annual salaries of millions continues to stimulate the public's nerves. After the sellers of courses took the lead in earning the first bucket of gold in the AI era, more and more students are choosing to apply for artificial intelligence majors, hoping to get a share of the pie.

The battle of snatching people swarmed in

Following DeepSeek and Yushu Technology, recently, Hangzhou Six Little Dragons' "Big Brother" Group Core Technology has also launched the "Star Core Talent Plan" after officially submitting its listing application to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, recruiting about 30 high-precision and cutting-edge campus talents from around the world to jointly explore cutting-edge space intelligence technologies.

Represented by the Six Little Dragons of Hangzhou, Hangzhou is like a whirlpool attracting high-end talents in the field of artificial intelligence. Recently, Alibaba has launched a large-scale recruitment campaign for its AI To C (Consumer oriented Artificial Intelligence) business, opening up hundreds of positions mainly related to AI big models, AI products, and technology research and development.

In fact, in July last year, Hangzhou issued the "Several Measures to Support the High Quality Development of the Whole Industry Chain of Artificial Intelligence", which mentioned the need to increase the attractiveness of artificial intelligence talent recruitment and strengthen the talent team through various means. Shanghai, which is adjacent to Hangzhou, is not lagging behind. At the 2024 World Artificial Intelligence Conference, Pudong New Area released ten measures to support the development of AI talents, mentioning that for peak talents and teams in the field of artificial intelligence who come to Pudong New Area for innovation and entrepreneurship, they will be granted up to 7 million yuan in individual and team funding, as well as up to 100 million yuan in project subsidies after recognition.

Hangzhou's impressive performance has given Shenzhen, which is known for its innovative technology, a real sense of tension. At the end of last year, Shenzhen issued the "Several Measures for Shenzhen to Build an Artificial Intelligence Pioneer City", supporting AI overseas talents to start businesses in Shenzhen. For enterprises registered within 6-48 months, a one-time entrepreneurship subsidy of 1 million yuan, 500000 yuan, and 300000 yuan will be given based on merit. For top talents in the field of artificial intelligence, a comprehensive "policy package" of career platform, research funding, team support, and living security will be provided.

Suzhou may be the city with the fastest response speed outside of Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Hangzhou. On February 14th, Suzhou released the "Several Measures to Support the Development of Talents in the Field of Artificial Intelligence in Suzhou City". Among them, it is clearly stated that vigorously introducing and cultivating talents at the forefront of artificial intelligence technology and at the international first-class level, mastering key core technologies, and capable of bringing significant impact and breakthroughs, both domestically and internationally, will be supported with a maximum of 100 million yuan in project funding and 10 million yuan in housing subsidies.

It can be seen that financial support is the main strategy for various regions to compete for AI "student sources". Compared to the large-scale investment in the Yangtze River Delta, Shenzhen is indeed much more "rigorous" in terms of funding.

The temptation of an annual salary of one million

Comparing the layout and planning between cities, enterprises have faster speed and much fiercer competition. Job seekers are flocking to top technology companies, which are also increasingly seeking higher end talents.

It's hard not to find a job with an annual salary of millions without its allure.

According to reports, during the large-scale New Year recruitment event in Nanshan District, Shenzhen in February, the artificial intelligence industry booths were crowded with people, with long queues of job seekers in front of booths such as Pengcheng Laboratory, Youbixuan, and Kenqi Technology. Some companies are recruiting for the position of "DeepSeek Senior Specialist", while others are offering a million dollar annual salary to recruit talents for AI related positions.

According to the announcement of Qunhe Technology, schools selected for the "Star Core Talent Plan" will receive a salary package of up to one million yuan (including options); The maximum monthly salary for interns is 12000 yuan, and they have the opportunity to directly receive a formal offer.

At this year's job fairs in many places, it is common to see crowds of people in the special zones for artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing and other enterprises, which are popular among college graduates and young job seekers. A job seeker who graduated from a computer major said, "It's been over a year since graduation, and I'm still hesitating whether to take the postgraduate entrance examination or work. Seeing that artificial intelligence is very popular this year, I came over to see if there are suitable positions

As Liu Mengmeng, Senior Marketing Director of SciClone International, said, the competition for talent has already begun, and companies hope to establish their talent advantage in the first quarter. When companies are increasing their recruitment needs for positions such as artificial intelligence, the talent gap becomes even more pronounced.

According to data, as of December 2024, the user base of generative artificial intelligence products in China reached 249 million, accounting for 17.7% of the total population. In 2024, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security announced 19 new professions, including the application of generative artificial intelligence systems. According to the "2024 Artificial Intelligence Talent Trend Report" by Zhilian Recruitment, the supply and demand ratio of AI talents in China has expanded to 1:8, and the average recruitment cycle for algorithm engineer positions is as long as 43 days.

It is worth noting that the widespread application of AI technology not only prompts enterprises to recruit AI related talents on a large scale, but also quietly reconstructs the employment mode and structure of enterprises.

A report recently released by McKinsey predicts that 50% of jobs worldwide will be replaced by AI between 2030 and 2060, which is about 10 years earlier than previous estimates.

How can AI majors in universities scratch the itch of the market

It is worth considering that it has only been a year since Sora ignited a new wave of AI big models and DeepSeek emerged. The emergence of AI has accelerated the pace of change in the times beyond previous understanding. Where does talent come from?

From the second half of last year to the beginning of this year, major universities have also intensified the cultivation of artificial intelligence talents. On February 13th, the establishment ceremony of the School of Artificial Intelligence at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen) was held; On February 9, Suzhou Institute of Artificial Intelligence and Suzhou Artificial Intelligence Laboratory of Renmin University of China were unveiled. On December 28, 2024, the School of Computer and Artificial Intelligence at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics was established.

In fact, China's cultivation of artificial intelligence talents predates ChatGPT.

In 2018, the Ministry of Education released the "Action Plan for Artificial Intelligence Innovation in Higher Education Institutions". In the same year, 35 higher education institutions led by Nanjing University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University were the first to offer undergraduate programs in artificial intelligence. By 2019, this number had increased to 190+. As of 2023, there are a total of 532 regular universities in China offering this major, accounting for 40.67% of the total number of regular undergraduate universities.

With such a rich professional training mechanism in universities, the first batch of undergraduate students who enrolled in 2018 have already graduated three years ago, and graduate students will also graduate in 2025. Why is there still a shortage of AI talents?

Perhaps the biggest issue is that the AI industry is changing rapidly, and current AI teachers in universities may have rich knowledge in other fields, but can they keep up with the latest iterations of AI technology? To what extent can a profession scratch the itch in the market? I'm afraid a big question mark is needed. The rapid updating of industry technology is in stark contrast to outdated teaching content and a lack of practical experience.

And when companies recruit artificial intelligence engineers, they are usually in a state of preferring shortage over excess, even if they are eager to "recruit soldiers and horses", they still need "top-notch horses". Those graduates majoring in artificial intelligence who only have basic knowledge may not have the chance to "rectify" their workplace before being "rectified" by AI robot interviewers.

And high salaries often mean fierce competition. Some analysts believe that, unlike the imagined "professional matching and super good employment", graduates of artificial intelligence majors often need to compete with students of computer and electronic information majors for the same position. According to the "2024 China Undergraduate Employment Report" by Michelson, 41.1% and 12.1% of the 2021-2023 undergraduate graduates who are engaged in artificial intelligence engineering and technology respectively come from computer science and electronic information majors.

Looking ahead, it is expected that the salaries of ordinary AI engineers will gradually return to rationality, but the scarcity and premium of high-end talents will continue to rise.

Even if the "meat bones" with an annual salary of millions hang up high, they will ultimately only be "survivorship bias", and the "screws" of the artificial intelligence profession will still be the majority. Ultimately, only the algorithm gods at the top of the pyramid will be seen and paid attention to by the public.

So, how will the latest wave of professional fever triggered by Yushu Technology and DeepSeek evolve? Can students who catch up with the trend of applying for majors also catch up with the first wave of artificial intelligence? We still need time to answer.