OPT AI ML Intern Jobs
AI ML Intern roles are among the most OPT-friendly positions in tech, with strong demand from employers already experienced in sponsoring international students. Most roles fall under STEM OPT, giving you up to 36 months of work authorization, and many lead directly to full-time offers with H-1B visa sponsorship.
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INTRODUCTION
The AI & ML Operations Engineer designs, builds, and maintains the engineering processes and platform capabilities needed to deploy, monitor, govern, and maintain deployed AI/ML solutions at scale. The role converts validated analytical work into reliable production solutions and manages the operational lifecycle of models and related services while meeting enterprise privacy, security, and support standards.
The engineer partners with data scientists, data engineers, central cloud and infrastructure teams, API and Interoperability teams, Cybersecurity, service owners, and relevant engineering teams to deliver maintainable solutions. The role remains hands-on in engineering, testing, deployment, and troubleshooting while using enterprise-managed capabilities for production data movement, integration, and infrastructure. Scientific method validation remains with the Data Scientist and designated reviewers; this position implements the operational controls for deployed solutions.
This role is part of a new AI & Automation engineering team and will directly design, build, deploy, and support production AI applications and services. Work may include agents, retrieval-augmented generation, orchestration, APIs and integrations, automated evaluation and testing frameworks, observability, monitoring, release and rollback processes, and model/application lifecycle management.
Responsibilities
Model deployment and orchestration. Deploy batch and real-time models and related AI services using approved CI/CD, containers, APIs, and workflow patterns. Build and maintain assigned model deployment and runtime components and coordinate dependencies with enterprise platform owners.
Release management. Automate packaging, versioning, testing, promotion, rollback, and recovery for models and services. Implement retraining or recalibration workflows using criteria defined with data scientists and the required validation and release approvals.
ML platform capabilities. Implement, integrate, configure, and operate approved feature stores, model registries, experiment tracking, and related ML lifecycle capabilities with enterprise platform owners. Partner with Cloud & AI Deployment Engineering and central cloud teams on compute, storage, networking, and deployment.
Deployed-model governance. Implement approved lifecycle controls, access restrictions, lineage, audit trails, change records, and release approvals for deployed models. Maintain traceability across data, code, model, and configuration versions.
Monitoring and reliability. Implement logging, alerts, and monitoring for model performance, drift, data quality, latency, availability, and errors. Work with data scientists, service owners, and relevant engineering teams on measures, thresholds, incident response, and service objectives.
Data and API integration. Work with central data-engineering teams on managed data pipelines and with enterprise API and Interoperability teams on real-time and application integrations, including MuleSoft or other approved API capabilities. Coordinate monitoring, recovery checkpoints, restart procedures, security, and support ownership.
Enterprise support and maintainability. Ensure production solutions have documented dependencies, operational procedures, escalation paths, and ongoing ownership before release. Arrange support with the responsible enterprise teams, including 24/7 coverage where required for critical services, rather than relying on an individual project owner.
AI application operations. Operate assigned LLM, retrieval-based, and agent applications using automated quality checks, model/tool tracing, prompt and configuration versioning, and usage/cost monitoring within the common production lifecycle.
Security and engineering standards. Apply enterprise privacy, security, encryption, role-based access, and sensitive-data controls. Follow common infrastructure-as-code, pull-request, and deployment practices with the responsible teams; bring needed tooling or design exceptions through established review processes.
Collaboration and improvement. Help scientists and partner teams move prototypes into supported production solutions. Review code, tests, and documentation, resolve incidents across dependencies, provide constructive technical feedback, and improve reliability, reproducibility, performance, and efficiency.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- B.S./B.A. in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
- At least three years of experience in software engineering, DevOps, or MLOps, including work with production systems.
- Proficiency in Python or another modern programming language, such as Java or Go, sufficient to build, test, troubleshoot, and maintain production components.
- Hands-on experience deploying and operating batch and/or real-time machine-learning models in production.
- Experience with CI/CD tools such as GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Jenkins, or Azure DevOps; source control, code review, automated testing, and controlled releases.
- Hands-on experience with containerization and orchestration technologies using enterprise-approved platforms and tools.
- Experience in cloud and/or hybrid environments such as AWS, Azure, or GCP.
- Working knowledge of SQL and experience with large datasets and data-workflow orchestration; ability to integrate model services with enterprise-managed pipelines and APIs.
- Experience implementing logging, metrics, monitoring, alerts, and operational diagnostics and investigating failures across model, application, data, and infrastructure dependencies.
- Understanding of security best practices, role-based access control, secrets management, and handling sensitive data.
- Ability to independently deliver assigned engineering work, communicate technical tradeoffs, and collaborate with data scientists, clinicians, data/API teams, cloud/DevOps, security, and support functions.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience in healthcare, health technology, or another regulated industry handling PHI/PII.
- Familiarity with EHR/EMR integration and healthcare data standards such as HL7/FHIR, ICD, CPT, LOINC, or SNOMED.
- Experience with ML lifecycle tools such as MLflow, Kubeflow, SageMaker, Vertex AI, or Azure ML, including model registries, feature stores, and experiment tracking.
- Experience with ETL/ELT, data warehouse or lakehouse platforms, enterprise API platforms, infrastructure as code, and formal production-support practices.
- Experience monitoring model drift, fairness, and explainability and implementing healthcare AI governance controls.
- Experience operating LLM, retrieval-based, or agent applications, including quality evaluation, tracing, prompt/configuration management, and cost monitoring.
COMPENSATION
- $109,449.60 - $154,523.20 Annual
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding OPT Sponsorship as an AI ML Intern
Target employers with a STEM sponsorship track record
Search OFLC disclosure data to find companies that have previously filed H-1B visa petitions for machine learning and AI roles. Employers already familiar with the process are far less likely to reject your application over OPT status concerns.
Confirm your internship qualifies for STEM OPT extension
AI and ML internships typically qualify for the 24-month STEM OPT extension, but only if the role is directly related to your CIP code. Verify this with your DSO before accepting an offer to avoid gaps in work authorization later.
Apply before your OPT start date whenever possible
Many employers want interns available immediately. If your EAD card isn't in hand yet, be transparent about your start date. Applying three to four months out gives you enough lead time to align your authorization window with the internship timeline.
Lead with your technical skills, not your visa status
Recruiters filter on skills first. Emphasize your Python, TensorFlow, PyTorch, or research experience upfront. Once you have an interview, address OPT directly and concisely. Burying the lede on visa status signals insecurity about something employers don't see as a barrier.
Ask about the e-verify status of the employer early
STEM OPT employers are legally required to be enrolled in E-Verify. Confirming this before you invest time in the interview process protects you from an offer you ultimately cannot accept. Most large tech employers are already enrolled.
Use your internship to build an H-1B case from day one
Document your contributions, tools used, and project outcomes throughout the internship. Strong performance records and a clear specialty occupation argument make converting your internship into an H-1B sponsorship significantly more straightforward when the time comes.
AI ML Intern OPT: Frequently Asked Questions
Can I work as an AI ML Intern on OPT?
Yes. AI and ML internships are squarely within the STEM fields that qualify for OPT work authorization. If your degree is in computer science, data science, electrical engineering, or a related STEM field, the role almost certainly aligns with your CIP code. Confirm with your DSO that the specific internship duties match your field of study before accepting the offer.
Do AI ML Intern roles qualify for the STEM OPT extension?
Most do, but qualification depends on two things: your degree's CIP code must be on the STEM designated degree program list, and the internship must be directly related to that field. AI and ML roles generally satisfy both conditions for students with degrees in computer science, statistics, or engineering. Your DSO makes the final determination, so loop them in early.
How do I find AI ML Intern roles where employers are open to OPT?
Migrate Mate is built specifically for F-1 OPT students and filters job listings to surface employers who are open to sponsoring international talent. Browsing AI and ML intern listings on Migrate Mate saves significant time compared to filtering through general job boards where OPT-friendly roles are not labeled. You can search by role type and see sponsorship-relevant details upfront.
What happens to my OPT if the AI ML internship ends early or is terminated?
If your internship ends before your OPT authorization period expires, you have a 90-day unemployment buffer on standard OPT. On STEM OPT extension, the buffer is 150 days total across the extension period. You are not required to find a new position immediately, but you should notify your DSO within ten days of the employment change and begin searching as soon as possible.
Will an AI ML internship count toward H-1B specialty occupation requirements later?
Yes. Documented internship experience in machine learning or artificial intelligence strengthens a future H-1B petition by demonstrating a track record of performing specialty occupation work. Employers filing an H-1B on your behalf can reference your internship duties as evidence that the role requires a degree in a specific technical field. Keep records of your projects, tools, and responsibilities throughout the internship.