The Jobs Desk: verified AI, robotics and chip-industry openings in the US, checked against the employer or agency posting, with closing dates.
Rarely. On Oct. 17, 2026, 41 of 3,832 postings on 19 AI company job boards said applicants get drug tested, all xAI data center and Nuro vehicle operator jobs. 0 of 98 software and research roles there did.
Usually not. On Oct. 16, 2026, only 77 of 2,205 U.S. AI job postings with a pay range said it included a bonus or commission target, all on sales teams. 407 named a bonus outside the range; one gave its size.
On Oct. 15, 2026, 136 remote U.S. AI postings had a $305,000 median pay midpoint, above on-site. The cut came from location: Cohere’s All Other States band ran a median 15.5% lower, Scale AI’s St. Louis zone 25%.
On Oct. 14, 2026, 43 of 56 U.S. technician postings on 19 AI company boards asked for years of experience (median 2), but only 3 of 15 new-grad postings named any number. Internships, trade and military time often count.
Yes. On Oct. 13, 2026 none of Mercor’s 286 open marketplace listings asked applicants to pay, and the 247 hourly listings had a median top rate of $100 an hour. But 232 of them do not name the client.
Longer than a month in most cases. Of 739 new postings on 19 AI-company job boards, 83% were still up on day 30 and 70% on day 45. Plus this week’s AI Hiring Report: 3,803 open roles, down 50.
Answer it in your own words and name one specific thing from the posting. On Oct. 11, 2026, 1,015 of 3,732 AI job application forms asked why you want that company or role, and 810 made it required.
Usually yes, if you meet the must-have list. On Oct. 10, 2026 we read 3,810 postings on 19 AI job boards: 980 told readers to apply anyway, and 2,029 set apart a preferred list the employer does not require.
Because remote rarely means anywhere. On Oct. 8, 2026 we read all 453 remote AI job postings on 12 boards: 406 named a country, office quota, time zone, travel duty or excluded states. 47 said nothing more.
It means a degree is one way to qualify, not the only one. On Oct. 7, 2026 we read 3,811 AI job postings: 925 of the 1,325 that name a bachelor’s accept experience instead, and 29 name the years, from 2 to 8.