Artificial Intelligence Scientist Jobs in California
Artificial Intelligence Scientist jobs in California sit at the center of one of the most active AI hiring markets in the world, with strong demand across technology, healthcare, defense, and autonomous systems from entry-level research roles through principal and distinguished scientist positions. Most openings concentrate in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, and San Diego, where companies like Google, Meta, and Qualcomm maintain large AI research and applied science teams. The most in-demand specialties include large language model development, computer vision, and reinforcement learning. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Responsibilities
About the team
The Intelligent Creation Team is the AI, special effects, and audio-video creation technology team, responsible for the core technology and business development. It covers a variety of technical fields, including deep learning, computer vision, graphics, speech, shooting and editing, special effects, client and server engineering, and provides cutting-edge content understanding, content creation, interactive experience, and consumption capabilities and industry solutions to other business lines within the company and external partners in various forms.
- Conduct cutting-edge research and development in computer vision and machine learning, especially in the areas of generative AI (e.g. image, video, or 3D generation).
- Transfer advanced technologies to the company's products.
- Explore new products with artificial intelligence technology at its core.
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications
- 3+ years of research and practical experience in one or more areas of computer vision, including but not limited to:
- Generative model customization and personalization, especially diffusion models and GANs
- Multimodal and controlled image and video generation by text, audio, video and other modalities.
- Preferring candidates with publications in top-tier venues such as CVPR, ECCV, ICCV, NeurIPS, ICLR, SIGGRAPH or SIGGRAPH Asia, etc.
- Highly competent in algorithms and programming; Strong coding skills in C/C++ and Python.
- Work and collaborate well with team members.
- Ability to work independently.
About TikTok
TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. At TikTok, our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. TikTok's global headquarters are in Los Angeles and Singapore, and we also have offices in New York City, London, Dublin, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo.
Why Join Us
Inspiring creativity is at the core of TikTok's mission. Our innovative product is built to help people authentically express themselves, discover and connect – and our global, diverse teams make that possible. Together, we create value for our communities, inspire creativity and bring joy – a mission we work towards every day. We strive to do great things with great people. We lead with curiosity, humility, and a desire to make impact in a rapidly growing tech company. Every challenge is an opportunity to learn and innovate as one team. We're resilient and embrace challenges as they come. By constantly iterating and fostering an "Always Day 1" mindset, we achieve meaningful breakthroughs for ourselves, our company, and our users. When we create and grow together, the possibilities are limitless. Join us.
Diversity & Inclusion
TikTok is committed to creating an inclusive space where employees are valued for their skills, experiences, and unique perspectives. Our platform connects people from across the globe and so does our workplace. At TikTok, our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. To achieve that goal, we are committed to celebrating our diverse voices and to creating an environment that reflects the many communities we reach. We are passionate about this and hope you are too.
TikTok Accommodation
TikTok is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in our recruitment processes for candidates with disabilities, pregnancy, sincerely held religious beliefs or other reasons protected by applicable laws. If you need assistance or a reasonable accommodation, please reach out to us at https://tinyurl.com/RA-request
Job Information
【For Pay Transparency】Compensation Description (Annually)
The base salary range for this position in the selected city is $254400 - $480000 annually. Compensation may vary outside of this range depending on a number of factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies and experience, and location. Base pay is one part of the Total Package that is provided to compensate and recognize employees for their work, and this role may be eligible for additional discretionary bonuses/incentives, and restricted stock units.
Benefits may vary depending on the nature of employment and the country work location. Employees have day one access to medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k) savings plan with company match, paid parental leave, short-term and long-term disability coverage, life insurance, wellbeing benefits, among others. Employees also receive 10 paid holidays per year, 10 paid sick days per year and 17 days of Paid Personal Time (prorated upon hire with increasing accruals by tenure).
The Company reserves the right to modify or change these benefits programs at any time, with or without notice.
For Los Angeles County (unincorporated) Candidates:
Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with all federal, state, and local laws including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act. Our company believes that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship on the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of the conditional offer of employment:
1. Interacting and occasionally having unsupervised contact with internal/external clients and/or colleagues;
2. Appropriately handling and managing confidential information including proprietary and trade secret information and access to information technology systems; and
3. Exercising sound judgment.
See All 167+ Artificial Intelligence Scientist Jobs in California
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Find JobsArtificial Intelligence Scientist Jobs by City in California
Where California roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Artificial Intelligence Scientist Job Market in California
A snapshot from current California openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
- Intuit16

- ByteDance13

- Google12

- TikTok10

- Genentech7

Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software31
- Science & Research7
- Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals5
- Manufacturing4
- Artificial Intelligence3
What California Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in artificial intelligence scientist jobs across California.
- PhD or master's degree in computer science, machine learning, or a related field
- Deep expertise in machine learning frameworks such as PyTorch or TensorFlow
- Demonstrated research experience with peer-reviewed publications or applied patents
- Proficiency in Python and experience with large-scale distributed training systems
- Ability to design, run, and interpret experiments on real-world datasets at scale
- Strong cross-functional collaboration skills for working with product and engineering teams
Artificial Intelligence Scientist Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become an artificial intelligence scientist in California?
There is no state-issued license required to work as an artificial intelligence scientist in California. The standard path is a graduate degree in computer science, statistics, or a closely related field, with a PhD preferred for research-track roles. California employers consistently prioritize a portfolio of published work, open-source contributions, or deployed model experience. Strong candidates from master's programs often enter through applied science roles at California technology companies before moving into scientist-level positions.
How much do artificial intelligence scientists make in California?
Artificial intelligence scientists in California earn a median of about $159,100 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $88,920 for the lowest 10% to over $275,320 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.
Which companies hire artificial intelligence scientists in California?
Employers hiring artificial intelligence scientists in California right now include Intuit, ByteDance, and Google, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. California's concentration of AI-focused technology companies, defense contractors, and health technology firms means the hiring base is unusually broad compared with most other states.
Which California cities have the most artificial intelligence scientist jobs?
San Jose, San Francisco, and Mountain View lead California for artificial intelligence scientist openings. The Bay Area concentration reflects the headquarters density of major AI-native technology companies, while Los Angeles hiring is driven by entertainment technology, autonomous systems, and a growing cluster of AI startups, and San Diego openings are anchored by defense technology and biotech firms with applied AI research divisions.
Are there remote artificial intelligence scientist jobs in California?
Yes, and more than most fields. About 37% of artificial intelligence scientist openings tied to California are remote or hybrid as of August 2026, reflecting how much of the work involves model development, experimentation, and analysis that can be done independently. The parts of the role most likely to remain fully on-site are those requiring access to specialized compute clusters or close collaboration with hardware teams.
How can I get hired as an artificial intelligence scientist in California with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is a research internship or PhD residency program, which California technology companies including Google, Meta, and Apple run specifically for doctoral students and recent graduates. Candidates without a PhD can target associate or junior machine learning engineer roles at mid-size California AI companies as a lateral entry point. Building a public portfolio of model experiments on open datasets, contributing to open-source frameworks, and presenting at academic venues recognizable to California hiring teams all strengthen a candidacy without requiring prior industry experience.
Where can I find and apply to artificial intelligence scientist jobs in California?
You can find and apply to artificial intelligence scientist jobs in California on Migrate Mate, which lists current California openings across industries and experience levels. Find roles that fit your background and apply directly from the listing.
See All 167+ Artificial Intelligence Scientist Jobs in California
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