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Machine Learning Engineer Salary vs AI Engineer Salary in India: Powerful Comparison #001
Aug 04, 2025 4 Min Read 3166 Views
(Last Updated)
Curious about the machine learning engineer salary vs AI engineer salary in India for 2025?
On average, a machine learning engineer salary in India is around ₹9.85 Lakh per year, with ranges from ₹3.5 Lakh to ₹30 Lakh based on experience and location.
On the other hand, the artificial intelligence engineer salary averages about ₹5 Lakh at entry level and can go up to ₹20–50 Lakh annually for senior roles .
This makes the machine learning engineer salary vs AI engineer salary comparison especially interesting, salaries overlap, but ML engineers tend to make more early on, while senior AI engineers can surpass them.
In this blog, we’ll compare machine learning engineer salary vs AI engineer salary, explore key pay drivers, and help you choose the right career path based on the latest data from India in 2025.
Table of contents
- What Does a Machine Learning Engineer Do?
- What Does an Artificial Intelligence Engineer Do?
- Average Salary of ML Engineer in India
- Average Salary of AI Engineer in India
- Machine Learning Engineer Salary vs Artificial Intelligence Engineer Salary: Key Differences
- Top-Paying Industries and Companies in India: Machine Learning Engineer Salary vs AI Engineer Salary
- Which Career Should You Choose in 2025?
- Conclusion
- Frequently Asked Questions
What Does a Machine Learning Engineer Do?
A machine learning engineer is a tech professional who designs, builds, and maintains systems that let computers “learn” from data and improve over time without being told exactly what to do.
The main focus for a machine learning engineer is creating algorithms that solve real-world problems by recognizing patterns in data.
Common tasks for machine learning engineers:
- Collecting and preparing large amounts of data (like images, sales numbers, or customer feedback)
- Designing models that make predictions, such as predicting prices, sales, or which customers might leave
- Testing models to make sure they work well and improve over time
- Working closely with data scientists, software engineers, and business teams
- Deploying models into apps and making sure they run smoothly
Key skills for machine learning engineers:
Python or R programming, working with data (using pandas, NumPy), understanding statistics, machine learning libraries (like scikit-learn, TensorFlow, PyTorch), and problem-solving.
Example:
A machine learning engineer at a bank might build a system that detects fraudulent credit card transactions by finding strange patterns in thousands of purchases.
What Does an Artificial Intelligence Engineer Do?
An artificial intelligence engineer has a broader focus than just machine learning.
While machine learning is one part of AI, an AI engineer works on creating systems that can think, reason, learn, and even “understand” language or images.
Common tasks for AI engineers:
- Building smart applications that can see (computer vision), listen (speech recognition), or talk (natural language processing)
- Combining different AI technologies like robotics, deep learning, and classic algorithms to solve big problems
- Designing AI solutions for tasks like chatbots, recommendation engines, facial recognition, or self-driving cars
- Making sure AI systems are ethical, unbiased, and safe
- Testing and improving AI systems to handle new or unexpected situations
Key skills for AI engineers:
Strong coding (Python, Java, or C++), deep learning frameworks (TensorFlow, Keras), computer vision, natural language processing, statistics, and cloud tools for scaling AI solutions.
Example:
An AI engineer might create a voice assistant for a smartphone or design an AI-powered tool that helps doctors spot early signs of disease in medical images.
Average Salary of ML Engineer in India
To see the machine learning engineer salary vs AI engineer salary, let’s start with the ML side.
Recent surveys show that the average machine-learning engineer salary in India is about ₹9 to ₹10 lakh per year. (Source)
PayScale lists a median base pay of ₹9.85 lakh with a range from ₹3.5 lakh for freshers up to ₹30 lakh or more for senior experts. (Source)
| Experience level | Average ML salary (₹ LPA) | Role |
| Entry (0-2 yrs) | 5 – 9 | Junior roles focus on cleaning data and simple models |
| Mid (3-6 yrs) | 12 – 18 | Engineers start leading small projects and deploying models |
| Senior (7 + yrs) | 20 – 35 + | Own end-to-end ML pipelines, mentor juniors, optimise at scale |
So, at the junior stage the machine learning engineer salary vs AI engineer salary gap is not huge, but mid-level ML engineers already push into double-digit lakhs thanks to strong demand for production-ready models.
Average Salary of AI Engineer in India
On the other side of the machine learning engineer salary vs AI engineer salary comparison, AI engineers, who blend classic ML with deep learning, NLP, or computer-vision work show a slightly different curve.
UpGrad’s 2025 report says fresh-entry AI engineers earn ₹5 – 7 lakh, mid-career pros make ₹15 – 22 lakh, and seasoned specialists can cross ₹30 lakh in top firms. (Source)
PayScale places the average artificial-intelligence engineer salary at roughly ₹12 lakh per year, with some roles topping ₹50 lakh when bonuses and stock are added. (Source)
| Experience level | Average AI salary (₹ LPA) | Role |
| Entry (0-1 yrs) | 5 – 7 | Focus on data prep, basic model fine-tuning |
| Mid (2-5 yrs) | 15 – 22 | Work on NLP chatbots, vision models, mixed-AI stacks |
| Senior (6 + yrs) | 25 – 40 + | Lead AI strategy, deploy multi-model solutions, ensure ethics & fairness |
These figures show why the machine learning engineer salary vs AI engineer salary debate matters.
ML engineers often start higher, but senior AI engineers can match or exceed them once deep learning and multi-domain expertise enter the mix
Machine Learning Engineer Salary vs Artificial Intelligence Engineer Salary: Key Differences
When we place the machine learning engineer salary vs AI engineer salary side-by-side, three clear gaps appear:
| Experience level | Average ML salary (₹ LPA) | Average AI salary (₹ LPA) | Why the Gap Exists |
| Entry (0 – 2 yrs) | 5 – 9 | 5 – 7 | Early ML roles often pay a bit more because production-data skills are scarce. |
| Mid (3 – 6 yrs) | 12 – 18 | 15 – 22 | AI pros with NLP, computer-vision, or deep-learning skills see bigger jumps |
| Senior (6-7 + yrs) | 20 – 35 | 25 – 40 + | Senior AI engineers combine multiple domains (vision, NLP, RL), so pay can surpass ML peers. |
(Source:6figr, upGrad & GUVI, Asanify)
Key takeaway: At junior level, the machine learning engineer salary vs AI engineer salary is close, but in the senior bracket, the machine learning engineer salary vs AI engineer salary spread widens because AI engineers mix computer-vision, NLP, and reinforcement-learning expertise on top of core ML.
If you want to explore the fast-growing world of advanced AI tools, this Generative AI course teaches about the technologies behind ChatGPT, image generators, and more.
Top-Paying Industries and Companies in India: Machine Learning Engineer Salary vs AI Engineer Salary
Knowing where the highest cheques are written for a machine learning engineer salary vs an AI engineer salary helps you decide which path to follow.
Current listings show these sectors and firms paying the most for both machine learning engineer salary vs AI engineer salary:
| Industry | Average top pay (₹ LPA) | ML / AI highlights |
| FinTech & Banking | 25 – 45 | Fraud detection models, credit-risk AI |
| E-commerce | 20 – 40 | Recommendation engines, dynamic pricing |
| Healthcare & Med-Tech | 18 – 38 | Disease-prediction ML, medical-image AI |
| Autonomous / Automotive | 25 – 50 | Computer-vision, sensor-fusion AI |
Highest-paying companies (2025):
- Google India – ML engineers ~₹46 L average, senior AI specialists ₹50+ Lakh (Source: Machine Learning Engineer Salary guide)
- Amazon, Microsoft, and Qualcomm – ₹25 – 39 Lakh for advanced AI/ML roles
- Home-grown unicorns like Flipkart, Swiggy, Razorpay offer ₹18 – 28 L for mid-level ML and AI engineers.
These numbers reinforce the headline: the machine learning engineer salary vs AI engineer salary climbs fastest in data-rich, AI-heavy industries such as fintech and autonomous tech.
In terms of location, Bengaluru and Hyderabad pay 15–20 % more than Tier-2 cities. Also FAANG-class firms and funded startups offer stock bonuses that widen the machine learning engineer vs AI engineer salary gap at senior levels.
And research also suggests that AWS ML, Google TensorFlow, or specialised AI nano-degrees can add 10–15 % to offers.
Which Career Should You Choose in 2025?
Choosing between a machine learning engineer salary vs AI engineer salary path depends on what excites you and where you want to grow:
| Question to Ask Yourself | Choose ML Engineer if … | Choose AI Engineer if … |
| Do you love working mainly with data and models? | You enjoy cleaning data, building predictive models, and improving accuracy. | You want to combine several AI areas like vision, NLP, and robotics for end-to-end “smart” systems. |
| Do you prefer a fast start with slightly higher entry pay? | Entry-level ML pay is often 5 – 9 LPA. | Entry AI pay is similar (5 – 7 LPA) but may rise faster with deep-learning skills. |
| How much do you value multi-domain work? | You’re happy focusing on classic ML tasks fraud detection, demand forecasting, recommendation engines | You’re excited about speech assistants, self-driving cars, or advanced computer-vision apps. |
| Long-term salary goals? | Senior ML roles (20 – 35 LPA) remain strong, especially in fintech and e-commerce. | Senior AI roles can reach 25 – 40 LPA+ when you master several AI specialties. |
If you want to become a machine learning engineer, a practical course like the GUVI Zen Class: Machine Learning Course can help you learn hands-on skills and build a strong portfolio.
Conclusion
Both careers are in high demand, and India’s tech scene continues to expand. The roles, growth, and pay of each path are strong.
ML engineers start with slightly higher early salaries and focus deeply on data and predictive models. AI engineers mix several advanced AI areas and often command the highest senior salaries.
Pick the path that matches your interests and learning style. The machine learning engineer salary vs artificial intelligence engineer salary debate will work in your favour as you grow.
To learn more about how AI is changing tech jobs, check out this article on Will AI Replace Programmers? and see what’s next for engineers in the AI era.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is there a big pay gap between ML and AI engineers?
At entry level, the machine learning engineer salary vs AI engineer salary difference is small.
By senior level, AI engineers can earn more because they often mix NLP, computer vision, and reinforcement learning with core ML.
2. Can I switch from ML engineering to AI engineering later?
Yes. Many professionals start with ML skills, then learn deep-learning libraries (TensorFlow, PyTorch) to move into broader AI roles, narrowing the ML engineer salary vs AI engineer salary gap.
3. Which cities in India pay the highest ML and AI salaries?
Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Pune currently top the list. In these hubs, the machine learning engineer salary vs AI engineer salary can be 15–20 % higher than Tier-2 cities.
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