Military technology companies hiring AI professionals at an above-average rate

Hiring levels for AI-related roles in the defense sector have increased by around 65% compared with figures from last summer.

According to figures from GlobalData and Army Technology, 64.7% of military equipment and technology companies advertised AI-related job ads this July.

This compares with 57.9% of defense companies that sought AI specialists during the same period in 2021.

However, this July’s figure is a decrease from June, which saw 67.6% of defense companies seeking AI professionals.

GlobalData’s job analytics database tracks the daily hiring patterns by monitoring job posts.

It found that monthly AI job posts from military equipment and technologies companies were 8.9% of all jobs advertised in July, compared to just 2.4% the year prior.

GlobalData found that military tech companies are hiring for AI jobs at a rate higher than the average for all companies within its job analytics database. The average among all companies was 3.2% in July 2022.

Militaries around the world are increasingly investing in AI in a bid to augment operations.

The U.S. Department of Defense, for example, plans on spending $1.5 billion on AI technologies over the next five years to improve and advance the country’s military. Russia’s military recently announced plans to create a new department that would develop AI-enhanced weapons. And the U.K.’s Defense Artificial Intelligence Strategy, unveiled at this year’s AI Summit London, looks to support innovative defense solutions and programs.

AI-related hiring levels in the defense space are greater than that of the food industry, as recent GlobalData figures suggested nearly 40% of monitored companies were recruiting for at least one AI-related role in May of this year.