Despite heavy investment in artificial intelligence, the expected salary surge for AI-skilled workers hasn’t materialized. New data from Korn Ferry shows companies are still figuring out what those skills are actually worth, and paying cautiously in the meantime.
Companies Want AI Talent—but Aren’t Paying Much More
Executives continue to rank AI talent as a top priority, but compensation hasn’t caught up. Korn Ferry’s global survey of more than 4,000 companies found firms are offering only 5% to 15% above market pay for AI roles, with an average premium of about 10%.
At the same time, workers whose roles are being reduced or altered by AI are seeing relatively modest declines, with pay cuts typically landing between 5% and 10%. The result is a far narrower gap than many expected between AI-skilled workers and everyone else.
Employers Don’t Know What AI Skills Are Worth
The hesitation comes down to uncertainty. Companies are still early in understanding how AI will restructure jobs, making it difficult to set consistent pay benchmarks.
Roughly 64% of compensation professionals say they don’t know what premium to offer, and many firms are defaulting to conservative increases. With limited market data, nearly half expect managers—not formal salary structures—to determine pay adjustments for AI-related roles.
Bigger Pay Bumps Are Limited to Technical Roles
Where premiums do exist, they are concentrated in highly technical functions. Engineering, data science, and machine learning roles are seeing the strongest gains, followed by operations.
In contrast, roles in areas like HR, finance, and sales are seeing minimal impact so far. Even in high-demand categories, however, the increases may not be large enough to attract the talent companies say they need.
Layoffs Happen, but So Does Reskilling
While some companies have cut AI-disrupted roles, widespread salary reductions haven’t followed. Many organizations are opting instead to redesign jobs, retrain workers, and transition employees into higher-value tasks.
It’s clear that AI is changing how work gets done faster than it is changing how work is paid.
Executives Are the Exception
At the top, the rules are different. Leaders with AI expertise are commanding higher compensation, with companies increasing base pay, bonuses, and equity to attract them.
Boards are also beginning to tie executive incentives directly to AI adoption and performance, signaling that while companies may be cautious on broad pay changes, they are willing to pay up for those responsible for leading transformation.
