The AI talent wars have come for the interns

Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? . AI giants like OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, and Google DeepMind are competing for top talent. These companies are offering huge pay packages for the best and brightest. They are also paying top dollar for new talent through internships, fellowships, and residencies. In the race to develop AI, the humble internship is not so humble anymore. The pay for short-term, entry-level roles in AI now rivals full-time salaries in other industries. Tech heavyweights competing to develop artificial intelligence have famously offered top researchers and engineers enormous pay packages in what's been described as the talent wars . In June, Meta spent $14.3 billion on an investment in Scale AI - a deal widely seen as an acquihire of CEO Alexandr Wang. Google made its own move, acquiring Windsurf's top talent for $2.4 billion. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has said that Meta tried to lure employees away with $100 million signing bonuses, an effort that Meta Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth said OpenAI later matched. Even at smaller startups, AI leaders can command between $300,000 and $400,000 in base pay, Shawn Thorne, managing director at executive search firm True Search, told Business Insider. While landing established talent is driving big spending, however, the top AI companies are also throwing significant sums at discovering new talent. Business Insider compiled a list of some of the top-paying internships, fellowships, and residency programs in 2026 at OpenAI, Anthropic, Google DeepMind, and Meta. Anthropic Safety Fellow The Anthropic AI Safety Fellows Program is a four-month, full-time research fellowship "designed to accelerate AI safety research and foster research talent," Anthropic says on its website. The goal of the program is to help fellows produce public research. Over 80% of fellows in past classes have produced papers, Anthropic said. Participants will receive direct mentorship from leading AI researchers, including Jan Leike, Sam Bowman, Sara Price, Alex Tamkin, and Nina Panickssery. They'll receive a weekly stipend of $3,850, and another $15,000 a month for compute funding, as well as workspace access in Berkeley or London. Applications for the next cohorts - which begin in May and July 2026 - are open until January 12, 2026. You can apply here . The OpenAI Residency The OpenAI Residency is a six-month program that brings participants into the organization as full-time employees to work alongside research teams on advanced AI projects. Residents are integrated into one of OpenAI's research teams, where they work on "ambitious projects that push the boundaries of AI," OpenAI says on its website. Residents receive mentorship, contribute to ongoing research, and may be considered for full-time roles after the program. Residents receive $18,300 a month. The role is based in San Francisco. Candidates are expected to have strong programming skills, a solid foundation in advanced mathematics, and the ability to execute complex technical projects independently. OpenAI said that it expects to review applications and begin interviewing as early as January 2026. Interviews are likely to involve multiple technical...

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