AI Jobs in Chicago
The Midwest's AI capital. Chicago offers strong AI opportunities in finance, healthcare, and enterprise tech, with a lower cost of living than coastal cities.
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Latest Chicago AI Positions
Showing 6 of 6 opportunities
Staff Software Development Engineer (AI Engineer, Frontend)
Manager, Field Engineering - MFG
Scrum Master AI Initiatives
Distinguished Engineer - Responsible AI
AI Outcome Customer Engineer, Forward Deployed Engineering
Remote Financial Analyst - AI Trainer
Why Chicago for AI?
Diverse Industries
- Major financial and trading firms
- Healthcare and insurance AI
- Enterprise tech companies
- Growing startup ecosystem
- University of Chicago research
Career Advantages
- Lower cost of living than coasts
- Strong job market stability
- Less competition than Bay Area
- Good work-life balance
- Central location and travel hub
Chicago AI Compensation
Chicago AI salaries offer great value with Midwest cost of living. ML engineers earn $140k-$260k+ base at top companies and trading firms.
Upcoming AI Events in Chicago
Curated list of AI meetups, hackathons, and conferences coming up in the metro. Auto-refreshed from organizer calendars.
- Jul222026
AI Deep Dive with Google (Ep 1)
Wed, Jul 22, 2026 · 5:00 PM UTCChicago AI Developers GroupChicago AI Developers Group **Important**: Register on the [event website](https://www.aicamp.ai/event/eventdetails/W2026072210) to receive the joining link. (rsvp on meetup will NOT receive anything). This is virtual event for our AI global community, please double-check your local time. Can't make it live? Register anyway to receive the webinar recording. The Google AI Deep Dive Series is a hands-on virtual initiative designed to empower developers to architect the next generation of Agentic AI. Moving beyond basic prompting, this series guides you through the complete engineering lifecycle using Google’s advanced stack. You will master the transition from local Gemini CLI environments to building intelligent agents with the Agent Development Kit (ADK) and Model Context Protocol (MCP), culminating in the deployment of secure, collaborative Agent-to-Agent (A2A) ecosystems on Google Cloud Run. Join us to build AI systems that can truly reason, act, and scale. **Tech Talk: Wrangling unstructured data with LLM-driven vector embedding** **Speaker:** Logan Hennessy (Google) **Abstract:** The real world is big, messy, and full of unstructured data. Web pages, notes, and documents rarely fit into the rigid rows of traditional databases, making classic keyword search brittle and frustrating. To build tools that truly understand user intent, we must move past exact phrase matching and leverage semantic retrieval. This webinar walks through how to build a lightweight search system using vector embeddings. We will focus on the mechanics of embedding and retrieval to turn raw, unstructured text into a highly queryable asset. Walk away with a clear, practical framework for indexing unstructured data. **Venue:** Virtual, join from anywhere **More virtual sessions:** * July 29th: AI Deep Dive with Snowflake. [RSVP](https://www.aicamp.ai/event/eventdetails/W2026072910) * Aug 5th: AI Deep Dive with Google Ep 2. [RSVP](https://www.aicamp.ai/event/eventdetails/W2026080510) * S
- Aug112026
CDAO Chicago 2026 (Free Tickets)
Tue, Aug 11, 2026 · 1:00 PM UTCChicago AI Developers GroupChicago AI Developers Group Important Note: Request your free tickets on the [external event website](https://bit.ly/4pbso2z) is required for admission. ## Driving Innovation Through Data and Analytics Excellence Returning for its ninth year, CDAO Chicago 2026 is the premier event for America’s top data and analytics leaders across industries. Join us for a transformative experience where experts share strategies for leveraging data to drive decision-making, foster innovation, and unlock business growth. This year’s event also highlights emerging technologies, governance best practices, and the intersection of AI and data ethics shaping the future of organizations everywhere. CDAO Chicago 2026 offers unparalleled opportunities to gain actionable insights and expand your network with data leaders from various sectors. ## Why attend? Join us at CDAO Chicago 2026 and immerse yourself in an environment designed to inspire and drive your organization forward. Hear from expert speakers, network with influential decision-makers, and gain insights into the latest data-driven technologies and strategies. Connect with peers to explore how to align data initiatives with organizational goals, balance risk and opportunity, and leverage advanced analytics to foster innovation and growth while ensuring data security and ethical practices. ## Who will be there? CDAO Chicago 2026 is designed for senior data and analytics leaders, including CDOs, CAOs, CIOs, Directors, and Managers from various industries. If you specialize in data strategy, analytics, AI, data governance, compliance, or automation, this event offers a unique opportunity to connect with top professionals and expand your network in the data and analytics field. Important Note: Request your free tickets on the [external event website](https://bit.ly/4pbso2z) is required for admission.
Chicago AI Community & Resources
Chicago's AI ecosystem spans precision medicine, enterprise AI, and academic research — with citywide tech weeks and Fulton Market hardtech hubs.
Community Groups & Meetups
- AI Tinkerers Chicago
Monthly builder-only meetup with live code demos (no slides) for AI engineers shipping real products.
- Chicago ML
Long-running community of ML researchers and engineers in greater Chicago — welcomes beginners and veterans.
- Chicago AI Developers Group (AITTG)
Practical GenAI/LLM tech talks, workshops, and code labs with tech leads from Chicago startups.
- Chicago Artificial Intelligence Meetup
Monthly downtown gathering with a speaker series and networking focused on AI's future.
Conferences & Events
- TechChicago Week
Citywide tech festival organized by P33 with AI-heavy programming across venues every July.
University AI Programs
- UChicago Data Science Institute
UChicago's interdisciplinary AI/data science hub running research, speaker series, and summer programs.
- AI at Northwestern
University-wide AI initiative spanning Northwestern Engineering, Kellogg, and NNCI.
- Discovery Partners Institute (DPI)
University of Illinois' Chicago research hub advancing AI, quantum, and applied computing.
Incubators & Industry
- 1871
Chicago's flagship digital tech incubator in the Merchandise Mart — ~450 startups including many AI teams.
- mHUB Chicago
Hardtech innovation center in Fulton Market with 11 prototyping labs for physical AI/robotics startups.
- MATTER
Healthtech incubator home to 200+ startups applying AI to clinical workflows, diagnostics, and care.
- P33 Chicago
Civic org building Chicago into a tier-one tech hub via AI, quantum, talent, and startup initiatives.
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