Workers with AI skills may get more jobs—but they lose negotiating power in this key department

Companies want to hire workers with artificial intelligence skills, but they don’t want to pay a premium. Those are the findings from a new report from Payscale, a leading online provider of data on salaries and compensation.

Payscale’s 2026 Compensation Best Practices Report finds that while 60% of companies mention AI as part of their job descriptions, only 55% are willing to shell out extra money for those skills in the form of higher salaries, bonuses, or even equity in the company.