Top 10 Companies Hiring AI Engineers in Baton Rouge, LA in 2026

Table of Contents

• Navigating Baton Rouge's AI Job Market
• ExxonMobil
• Dow Chemical
• Akiva AI
• IBM
• Louisiana State University
• Our Lady of the Lake Health
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana
• General Motors
• CGI
• KPMG
• Building Your AI Career in Baton Rouge
• Frequently Asked Questions

ExxonMobil

ExxonMobil's Baton Rouge complex represents a premier niche: an industrial AI laboratory operating at a scale few other environments can match. Engineers here work within one of the world's most data-rich ecosystems, parsing millions of real-time sensor data points to ensure the safety and efficiency of critical infrastructure. The work focuses on high-stakes applications like predictive maintenance for massive rotating equipment and reinforcement learning for yield optimization, where model failure is not an option.

The technical environment is mature, centered on a tech stack including Python, Azure Machine Learning, Databricks, and TensorFlow. Engineers are typically part of the centralized "Digital Core" unit, collaborating on projects that have direct, tangible impact on industrial operations. This scale and responsibility command significant compensation, with salaries for senior roles (L4/L5) ranging from $125,000 to $185,000.

The path to joining this team is rigorous, designed to identify engineers who can thrive under pressure. As detailed in ExxonMobil interview insights on Glassdoor, the process involves behavioral assessments using the STAR method followed by technical screenings focused on ML theory and industrial time-series case studies. For the AI engineer fascinated by deploying machine learning where it meets massive physical machinery, this role offers unparalleled scope and impact.

Dow Chemical

At Dow's Plaquemine and Baton Rouge operations, AI engineering is the catalyst for "Industry 4.0," transforming chemical manufacturing through intelligent automation. Engineers here tackle the fundamental challenge of scaling discoveries, building digital twins to simulate production processes and using NLP to extract insights from decades of technical logs. This work directly bridges the gap between laboratory chemistry and global manufacturing excellence.

Operating within Digital Acceleration Center (DAC) teams, AI engineers collaborate closely with chemical process experts. They leverage a modern tech stack built on Azure Cloud, PyTorch, and Snowflake for data warehousing to solve problems like molecular property prediction and supply chain optimization. This hybrid model ensures AI solutions are grounded in real-world chemical engineering principles.

Salaries for these professional to senior roles are competitive, ranging from $115,000 to $170,000, reflecting the specialized intersection of domain knowledge and technical skill required. The interview process, as seen in Dow's corporate career postings, involves a technical assessment and a "super day" with site-specific engineering leads, emphasizing the collaborative and applied nature of the work.

Akiva AI

Representing the vibrant, homegrown tech sector, Akiva AI is a Baton Rouge success story that operates at the cutting edge of AI architecture. This "AI-native" firm distinguishes itself by building production-ready, intelligent infrastructure, focusing on the frontier of multi-agent systems and orchestration frameworks. Their engineers move beyond simple chatbots to construct sophisticated platforms that autonomously manage complex business and government workflows using tools like LangGraph and AutoGen.

This specialization in the next wave of autonomous, agentic AI commands a significant premium in the local market. Reflecting the high demand for this niche expertise, salaries at Akiva AI range from $125,000 to $225,000, ranking among the highest in the region for specialized AI talent. The firm’s growth underscores the maturation of Baton Rouge's tech identity, offering a nimble, innovative alternative to larger corporate environments.

The path to joining this local leader involves a deep technical evaluation. As indicated by their active job postings, the interview process is a rigorous dive into agentic frameworks, DevOps for AI (MLOps), and designing secure, scalable systems. For engineers inspired by the promise of autonomous AI and the agility of a local firm, Akiva AI offers a direct line to the industry's frontier.

IBM

IBM's Baton Rouge Client Innovation Center serves as a crucial nexus where global enterprise challenges meet local engineering talent. Operating as a key delivery hub, agile teams here build AI solutions for Fortune 500 clients across finance, retail, and government sectors. This role is defined by variety and direct client impact, involving projects like implementing enterprise Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems and migrating legacy machine learning models to hybrid cloud environments.

Engineers leverage IBM's proprietary Watsonx platform alongside Python and OpenShift, gaining hands-on experience with a vanguard enterprise AI stack. This exposure to diverse industries through a consulting model offers a classic pathway with a strong technical focus. Compensation reflects this blend of consulting and deep tech, with salaries ranging from $95,000 to $155,000 for Consultant to Senior Consultant levels.

The interview process mirrors the consultative and technical nature of the work. It typically blends a coding challenge with an AI theory interview and a client-facing presentation simulation, assessing both technical depth and communication skills. As a node in a global network, IBM Baton Rouge provides a recognized entry into high-level enterprise AI, with the firm being highlighted among leading machine learning companies by industry analysts.

Louisiana State University

For AI purists drawn to foundational research rather than immediate commercial application, Louisiana State University offers a portal to the academic frontier. Through the Center for Computation & Technology (CCT) and specialized labs, research engineers engage with grand challenges, from AI for disaster relief and social good to advanced hardware-software co-design for next-generation systems. This is where the core science of AI advances, far from the quarterly business cycles of industry.

The technical environment is built for exploration, leveraging High-Performance Computing (HPC) clusters, CUDA, and research-grade frameworks like JAX. Projects here, such as those in the AISx Lab focusing on intersectional AI, tackle problems with long-term societal impact. This work provides unparalleled intellectual freedom and the opportunity for publication credit, currencies highly valued in the research world.

While academic salaries are typically more modest, ranging from $80,000 to $130,000 for research scientists, they represent a different kind of investment. The interview process mirrors a postdoc candidacy, involving deep-dives into mathematical theory and presentations of past research. For those inspired by advancing AI itself, LSU’s ecosystem, detailed on its official research pages, is an invaluable Baton Rouge asset for building a career at the intersection of theory and transformative application.

Our Lady of the Lake Health

In the vital domain of healthcare, AI engineering takes on a profoundly human dimension at Our Lady of the Lake Health. Here, engineers integrate into Clinical Informatics teams to build models that predict patient deterioration, optimize hospital staffing, and automate medical coding. The data environment is uniquely rich and consequential, consisting of complex, longitudinal patient records where algorithmic insights can directly influence care quality and outcomes.

The technical work involves navigating specialized systems, utilizing a tech stack that includes Epic Systems data, Python, and Azure AI. Projects, such as developing clinical decision support for conditions like sepsis, require a nuanced understanding of both machine learning and healthcare workflows. The stakes - improving and saving lives - create a deeply meaningful work environment that blends technical challenge with tangible social impact.

Salaries reflect this high-responsibility specialization, ranging from $110,000 to $160,000. The interview process is carefully tailored to the healthcare setting, incorporating case studies that test not only technical skill but also an understanding of HIPAA-compliance and effective stakeholder communication. This growing field is evidenced by active hiring for AI science roles in Louisiana's healthcare sector, highlighting a career path where your code contributes directly to community well-being.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana

As Louisiana's largest health insurer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana manages an immense and vital stream of data, making its Predictive Analytics unit a powerhouse for applied AI. Engineers here tackle mission-critical problems like combating fraud, waste, and abuse while working to stratify member health risks for better care management. The core challenge involves detecting subtle, fraudulent patterns within massive, noisy datasets to ensure the financial and operational integrity of the healthcare system.

The work requires a robust technical toolkit and cross-functional insight. Teams employ a tech stack of Python, AWS SageMaker, SAS, and Tableau to build models that not only identify anomalies but also provide actionable business intelligence. This role uniquely blends data engineering, machine learning, and domain expertise, offering a window into the complex interplay between healthcare delivery and insurance economics.

Salaries for these impactful positions are competitive, ranging from $105,000 to $165,000. The interview process typically involves a practical case study using insurance claims data and a review of system design principles, assessing an engineer's ability to construct reliable, scalable data pipelines for highly sensitive information. This focus is part of a broader trend, with over 200 AI-related jobs active in Louisiana's market, highlighting the growing demand for professionals who can translate data into both fiscal responsibility and improved patient outcomes.

General Motors

While not a traditional industrial employer in Baton Rouge, General Motors represents a significant remote pathway to global-scale automotive and technology innovation. The company actively recruits AI talent from strong regional tech pools like Baton Rouge to support its core digital transformation. Engineers on Core Automation and AI Science teams work on projects central to the future, from autonomous vehicle subsystems to large-scale manufacturing AI, using advanced tools like PyTorch, Kubernetes, and specialized simulation environments.

This connection to a household-name leader in transportation offers considerable prestige and the chance to solve complex, widely recognized problems. Compensation for these roles is significant, reflecting the high level of expertise required. Salaries for senior positions range from $130,000 to $210,000, figures that are competitive with coastal tech hubs and tracked by recruitment platforms like Tallo for East Baton Rouge roles.

The interview process is correspondingly demanding, designed to identify engineers who can build robust, production-grade systems. It emphasizes system design for reliable ML pipelines and a deep understanding of machine learning theory. For the AI engineer in Baton Rouge who seeks the impact and technical challenges of a global tech giant without leaving south Louisiana, GM offers a compelling and well-compensated remote opportunity.

CGI

CGI's Baton Rouge Innovation Center focuses on a mission-driven niche: modernizing government and commercial IT infrastructure with practical, impactful AI. Engineers here deliver solutions that address large-scale public sector challenges, building systems to detect benefit fraud, automate permit processing using computer vision, and create intelligent public-facing chatbots. This work sits squarely at the intersection of technology and civic service, where AI tools directly improve the efficiency and integrity of public infrastructure.

The technical approach emphasizes applied solutions using modern cloud services. Teams leverage a tech stack including AWS/Azure AI services and Elasticsearch for vector search capabilities, focusing on production deployment and real-world utility. This environment is ideal for engineers who derive satisfaction from seeing their code solve tangible, societal problems.

Salaries for these roles range from $90,000 to $145,000, reflecting the specialized blend of technical skill and public sector understanding required. The interview process evaluates both hands-on ability and system design thinking, often including a technical screening and a "whiteboard" session on MLOps and production deployment. As a firm highlighted among leading machine learning companies, CGI offers a clear path for those wanting to deploy AI where it meets essential public needs.

KPMG

Within KPMG's Baton Rouge Technology Transformation Center, AI engineering takes on a distinctly strategic, business-centric flavor. Teams here focus on integrating intelligent automation into core enterprise functions, developing AI-driven robotic process automation (RPA) and specialized analytical tools for domains like tax and audit. This is AI applied at the highest level of business operations, aiming to fundamentally transform how major corporations and institutions function, moving from repetitive task automation to intelligent process re-engineering.

The career path within this environment leans heavily toward leadership, consulting, and strategic advisory. Engineers and consultants work with platforms like Automation Anywhere A360 to design solutions that deliver both efficiency gains and deep business insights. Compensation reflects this blend of high-level technical and business acumen. Salaries for these roles show a significant range, from $101,200 for specialized positions to over $215,100 for senior leadership roles like AI Initiatives & Adoption Managers, according to regional market data.

The interview process is designed to identify candidates who can bridge technology and executive strategy. It often requires presenting a technical vision and designing an application for AI-enabled business automation, assessing both innovative thinking and practical implementation skills. This focus aligns with the strategic demand visible in the local market, as seen in Baton Rouge job market analyses for machine learning roles. For the AI engineer with a keen business mind, KPMG offers a direct pathway to influencing the C-suite with intelligent technology.

Building Your AI Career in Baton Rouge

Building a successful AI career in Baton Rouge hinges on matching your technical passion with the right data ecosystem - whether it's industrial sensor streams, clinical records, or civic datasets. The city offers a resilient and surprisingly diverse market where competitive salaries, from $90,000 at consultancies to over $225,000 at specialized firms, are amplified by a lower cost of living. The key is developing the precise skills these local niches demand.

For those ready to build these in-demand capabilities, accessible pathways exist. Bootcamps like Nucamp's Solo AI Tech Entrepreneur Bootcamp (25 weeks, $3,980) provide focused training in building AI-powered products and agentic systems, directly relevant to the work at firms like Akiva AI. Similarly, their Back End, SQL and DevOps with Python program (16 weeks, $2,124) builds the foundational engineering skills critical for roles at ExxonMobil or Dow.

This practical education is bolstered by Baton Rouge's unique assets: a steady talent pipeline from LSU, proximity to major employers, and a tech scene insulated from broader volatility. With AI Engineer the nation's fastest-growing job, positioning yourself here means planting in fertile ground - where you can focus on solving complex, high-impact problems that leverage the distinct data and industrial strengths of the Capital Region.

Frequently Asked Questions