The ranking comes from LinkedIn’s annual "Jobs on the Rise" report released in January, which tracks millions of jobs started by LinkedIn members between Jan. 1, 2023 and July 31, 2025 to calculate growth rates for each job title.

Several other AI-related roles also featured prominently in the top 10.

AI consultants and strategists ranked second, while data annotators whose job is labeling and reviewing datasets using detailed guidelines and quality checks, ensuring accuracy for training AI and machine learning models placed fourth.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning researchers came in fifth place.

A person works in front of a computer. Photo from Pexels

Laura Lorenzetti, a senior director at LinkedIn who worked on the list, told Business Insider the ranking suggests that as companies integrate AI more deeply into their operations, they will require people whose expertise is not solely technical.

In a separate "Skills on the Rise 2026" report released in February, LinkedIn also identified AI-related capabilities as some of the fastest-growing skills in the U.S.

The list includes a mix of technical skills, particularly in AI, and soft skills such as communication and people management.

"Those that embrace AI, are curious with the technology, and use it in their daily work will be seen as the future leaders at each company," LinkedIn Chief Operating Officer Dan Shapero told CNBC.