GoKawiil2026 AI job data: AI Engineer tops hiring, wage premiums hit 62%
A roundup of LinkedIn, WEF, Stanford AI Index, PwC, Lightcast, Indeed, Bain and Levels.fyi data shows AI Engineer as the most-hired AI role in 2026, with Research Scientist at frontier labs seen as the most prestigious. AI-related job postings and wage premiums have surged sharply, while prompt engineering is fading as a title and entry-level hiring has become tougher.