Looking for AI jobs in Paris or elsewhere in France without speaking French? You have more choice than in almost any other tech field. In October 2026, machine learning and AI was the largest named role group on France Dev Jobs, with 209 English-speaking jobs, 143 of them in Paris. Posted salaries mostly ran from €58k to €144k a year, and the median advertised salary was €90,000. Data science roles paid less, with a median of €60,000.
This guide covers where the jobs are, who is hiring, what machine learning engineers and data scientists earn in France, and how the visa routes work. Job figures are from France Dev Jobs on 16 October 2026 and our October 2026 report. Salary figures from Apec, the official body that surveys professional pay, come from our salary guide.
The short answer
- 209 machine learning and AI jobs, 80 data science jobs and 55 data engineering jobs were live on France Dev Jobs on 16 October 2026, all at companies where English is the working language.
- Paris had 143 of the ML and AI jobs. The rest were remote or in other French cities.
- 287 jobs mentioned large language models (LLMs), making it the fourth most common skill on the board after Python, Kubernetes and AWS.
- Salaries: ML and AI ads had a median of €90,000 and data science ads €60,000 (small samples, see below). Apec’s median for big data roles across France is €54,000.
- Visa: most AI salaries clear the €39,582 Talent permit threshold, and many clear the €59,373 EU Blue Card threshold.
Where the AI jobs are in France
By city
| Where | ML and AI jobs on France Dev Jobs |
|---|---|
| Paris | 143 |
| Rest of France and remote | 66 |
| All of France | 209 |
Source: ML and AI jobs and ML and AI jobs in Paris on France Dev Jobs on 16 October 2026.
On our board, two thirds of the English-speaking ML and AI jobs are in Paris. A third of all jobs on the board were fully remote in October 2026, and some AI teams hire remotely across France or the EU. See remote jobs.
Who is hiring
The companies with the most open jobs on France Dev Jobs in October 2026 were led by AI companies (October 2026 report):
| Company | Open jobs on France Dev Jobs |
|---|---|
| Mistral AI | 74 |
| Nebius | 67 |
| Harmattan AI | 56 |
| Airbus | 51 |
| Voodoo | 39 |
| Datadog | 31 |
| NVIDIA | 27 |
Not every job at these companies is an AI role, but many are. Other employers with ML and AI ads on our board that month included Sanofi, NXP, Mirakl, Aqemia, Volvo Group and Yubo.
A few notes from the employers’ own sites:
- Mistral AI builds its own AI models and lists Science, Product and Engineering, Go-to-market and Corporate teams. Its careers page offers relocation support “for moving expenses, visa sponsorship, and settling-in services for you and your family” (Mistral AI careers).
- Kyutai describes itself as an open-science AI research lab based in Paris, funded by Iliad Group, CMA CGM Group and Schmidt Sciences (Kyutai).
Paris also hosted the international AI Action Summit on 10 and 11 February 2025 (Élysée), which brought a lot of attention to the French AI scene.
AI startups in Paris
Beyond the large labs, Paris has many smaller AI startups, from drug discovery to developer tools. Our companies directory lists the companies on the board where English is the working language, and each company page shows its open jobs. For a list that updates from our data, see companies in France that hire English speakers.
Which AI roles are open
Job titles in French AI teams are often in English. The main groups on our board:
- Machine learning engineer / AI engineer: builds, trains and ships models. Often Python, PyTorch, Kubernetes and a cloud platform.
- Research engineer / research scientist: mostly at labs. Expect a PhD or strong publications for scientist roles; research engineer roles focus on training infrastructure, GPU performance and evaluation.
- Applied AI / LLM engineer: builds products on top of language models. The LLM jobs page had 287 jobs, with most posted salaries between €64k and €176k a year.
- Data scientist: analysis, experimentation and modelling, often in product or risk teams. See data science jobs.
- Data engineer and ML platform engineer: pipelines, feature stores and the systems that serve models. See data engineering jobs.
Skills employers ask for
Across all 1,739 live jobs on France Dev Jobs in October 2026, the most common skills linked to AI work were Python (652 jobs), LLMs (287), PyTorch (82), LangChain (50) and TensorFlow (27). Cloud and infrastructure skills, such as Kubernetes (353) and AWS (345), came up often too. See PyTorch jobs and Python jobs.
Machine learning engineer salary in France
Few French employers publish salaries, so treat every figure as a sample.
What AI job ads on our board pay
| Role group on France Dev Jobs | Typical posted range (yearly) | Median advertised salary | Ads with a salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Machine learning and AI | €58k to €144k | €90,000 | 18 |
| Data science | €47k to €99k | €60,000 | 15 |
| Data engineering | €54k to €92k | not reported | too few |
| Jobs mentioning LLMs | €64k to €176k | not reported | not reported |
Sources: role pages on France Dev Jobs on 16 October 2026 for the ranges, and the October 2026 report for the medians. Ads that state a salary are often from international companies and senior roles, so they sit above the French average.
What the official survey says
Apec’s 2025 study of professional pay gives a median of €54,000 gross a year for its big data job family in France, with the top 10% above €98,000. In Île-de-France (Paris and its region) the median is €58,000, against €48,000 in the other regions. The full tables are in our software engineer salary guide.
Data scientist salary in France
- Junior data scientist: Apec doesn’t publish a separate junior figure for data roles. For software development roles, its median for people under 35 is €44,000, which gives a rough idea.
- Experienced and senior data scientist: the posted range for data science roles on our board was €47k to €99k.
- Lead data scientist and ML managers: often above €100k at international companies. Engineering management ads on our board had a median of €115,000 (7 ads).
To see what a salary means in your pocket, use the salary after tax calculator. Our guide to French job offers explains gross and net pay, RTT and benefits.
Visas for AI jobs
If you are not an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, you will most likely move on a Talent residence permit. For AI roles the salary is rarely the problem:
- Talent – employee of an innovative company (the French Tech Visa for employees): for staff of a startup recognised as innovative, in a job linked to its research and development or its growth. No diploma condition. Minimum salary €39,582 gross a year (Service-Public, La French Tech).
- EU Blue Card: a degree from at least 3 years of higher education or 5 years of experience, and at least €59,373 gross a year.
- Talent – qualified employee: €39,582, but only with a master’s-level diploma obtained in France.
See Talent Passport salary thresholds for the details. Only 2% of ML and AI ads on our board mentioned visa sponsorship, but many employers sponsor without saying so in the ad. Our visa sponsorship jobs page lists the ones that do.
How to get an AI job in France as an English speaker
- Target Paris first, unless you work remotely or in a field tied to another city, such as aerospace in Toulouse.
- Show shipped work. A public model, an evaluation, an open-source contribution or a paper says more than a list of courses.
- Match the stack. Python and PyTorch for ML roles, plus Kubernetes and a cloud platform for ML platform roles.
- Ask about the language early. All jobs on our board work in English, but some teams are mixed. “French is a plus” usually means it isn’t required.
- Check the salary against your visa route before the final interview.
For CVs and job search tips, read how to get a tech job in France without speaking French. To compare cities, see Paris vs Lyon vs Toulouse for developers.
Frequently asked questions
Are there AI jobs in Paris for English speakers?
Yes, many. On 16 October 2026, France Dev Jobs had 143 machine learning and AI jobs in Paris at companies where English is the working language, out of 209 in France. Employers included AI labs, AI startups and the French offices of global tech companies.
What is the average machine learning engineer salary in France?
There is no official figure for ML engineers alone. Apec’s median for big data roles is €54,000 gross a year in France and €58,000 in Île-de-France. Machine learning and AI ads on France Dev Jobs that stated a salary had a median of €90,000 in October 2026, but those are mostly senior roles at international companies.
What is the data scientist salary in France per month?
Apec’s €54,000 annual median for big data roles is €4,500 gross a month. For comparison, €50,000 gross a year leaves about €2,940 a month and €60,000 about €3,420 a month after social contributions and income tax, for a single person under the 2026 rules. Use our salary after tax calculator for your own figure.
Which AI companies are hiring in Paris?
In October 2026, the companies with the most open jobs on France Dev Jobs included Mistral AI, Nebius, Harmattan AI and NVIDIA. Many smaller AI startups also hire in English. Our companies directory lists them with their open jobs.
Do I need French for an AI job in France?
Usually not for the job itself. All the jobs on France Dev Jobs are at companies where English is the working language. French helps with daily life and, after five years, a first resident card needs French at level B1.
Can I get a visa for an AI job in France?
Yes. Most AI salaries clear the €39,582 threshold for the Talent permit and many clear the €59,373 EU Blue Card threshold. The route depends on your diploma and your employer. Rules change, so check Service-Public before you apply.
Related guides and jobs
- Machine learning and AI jobs and in Paris
- Data science jobs and data engineering jobs
- French Tech Visa and Talent permit
- Companies that sponsor visas in France
Job counts and salaries change every day. Visa rules change too. This guide is general information, not legal advice; check the official pages linked above.