AI jobs in the UK: who's hiring in London and beyond
Who's hiring for AI in the UK, which roles, what they pay in pounds and which visa gets you there, from Tokn's data on 28 October 2026.
Thomas Couderq, Founder of Tokn
9 min read
In this article⌄
- The UK AI job market in numbers
- Who's hiring for AI in the UK
- The labs' London offices
- UK-grown and newer hirers
- Which AI roles are open in the UK
- Head of AI jobs
- London and beyond: where the AI jobs are
- AI jobs in Manchester and other UK cities
- Hybrid, on-site or remote?
- What AI jobs pay in the UK
- Visas for AI jobs in the UK
- UK AI policy: what affects jobs
- How to find an AI job in the UK
- FAQ
- Where are most AI jobs in the UK?
- Which companies hire the most for AI in the UK?
- How much do AI jobs pay in the UK?
- Are there AI jobs in Manchester?
- Which visa do I need for an AI job in the UK?
- Do UK AI job ads show salaries?
AI jobs in the UK are concentrated in London, mostly in the London offices of US companies. On Tokn, as of 28 October 2026, we count about 377 UK AI roles at 50 companies. Four in five are in London, and 57% of UK listings are at US companies such as Anthropic, Sierra and OpenAI. Here is who is hiring, for which roles, what they pay in pounds and how to get a visa.
In short
- Tokn lists about 377 AI roles in the UK at 50 companies (28 October 2026). Wayve, Anthropic, Sierra, OpenAI and Cohere hire the most.
- The companies we track hire in London or remotely from the UK. No other UK city appears in their listings.
- Outside Anthropic and Sierra, the median posted band is £110,000 to £150,000 (35 jobs at 13 companies).
- Without a UK or Irish passport, the main routes are Skilled Worker (from £41,700), Global Talent, High Potential Individual and the Graduate visa.
The UK AI job market in numbers
The UK is Tokn's largest European country: about 40% of the European AI jobs we track, ahead of France (247) and Germany (103).
| Measure (Tokn, 28 Oct 2026) | Value |
|---|---|
| UK AI listings | 386 at 52 companies |
| Real UK jobs (see note) | about 377 at 50 companies |
| Stored in London | 312 (81%) |
| Remote, UK-based | 68 (18%) |
| With a posted GBP salary | 93 (24%) |
The 386 include three Mercor "AI Research Fund Grants" (grants, not jobs), one Anduril role that is actually in Sydney, and five Reka roles listed as "US, UK, Singapore, Remote". We leave them out of the 377. Shares in this article use all 386 listings; removing the nine moves them by about a point.
Tokn lists AI roles at the companies we track, not every ad mentioning AI. For scale, ITJobsWatch counted 10,460 permanent UK ads mentioning AI in the six months to 27 October 2026, and the government's AI Sector Study 2024 counted 86,139 AI-related jobs at 5,862 AI companies. For the Europe-wide picture, see our October report on the European AI job market.
Who's hiring for AI in the UK
US companies hold 57% of UK roles on Tokn (220 of 386, at 34 companies). UK-grown companies (Wayve, Synthesia, Granola) hold about one in six, continental European companies 15% and Canada's Cohere and Ada 7%. We added North American company sources this month: read this as a snapshot, not a trend.
| Company | UK roles | Mostly hiring for |
|---|---|---|
| Wayve | 38 | Autonomous driving: ML, robotics, simulation |
| Anthropic | 32 | Research, infrastructure, forward deployed |
| Sierra | 30* | Customer-service AI agents |
| OpenAI | 24 | Research, infrastructure, applied AI |
| Cohere | 24 | Research, forward deployed, public sector |
| Scale AI | 21 | Engineering, public sector, new grads |
| Perplexity | 20 | Search ML, engineering |
| ElevenLabs | 18 | Voice AI, mostly remote from the UK |
| Synthesia | 17 | AI video: product, engineering, marketing |
| Lovable | 14 | Engineering, growth |
| Decagon | 12* | Customer-service AI agents |
| Granola | 10 | AI and product engineering, design |
| Applied Intuition | 9 | Defence and autonomy |
*Sierra and Decagon post the same role in several languages. Sierra's 30 London listings are 8 distinct roles, most of them one of three jobs in French-, German-, Spanish-speaking and other versions; Decagon does the same on a smaller scale.
The labs' London offices
The labs hire for research, infrastructure and forward deployed roles in London. Anthropic leased 158,000 sq ft at One Triton Square with room for about 800 people, according to CoStar in April 2026: office capacity, not a hiring target. Our guides to Anthropic jobs in Europe and OpenAI jobs in Europe go team by team.
UK-grown and newer hirers
Wayve, Synthesia and Granola are the UK-grown hirers; ElevenLabs, founded in 2022 with offices in London and New York, mostly hires remotely from the UK. Newer London hirers include agent companies (Sierra, Decagon), Applied Intuition in defence and autonomy, and inference companies such as Fireworks AI (7 roles).
Google DeepMind and the AI Security Institute are major London employers that Tokn doesn't track; check their own careers pages. Helsing posts 34 roles with a UK location on its own career page (some outside AI), not yet reflected on Tokn.
Which AI roles are open in the UK
Software and infrastructure engineering is the largest family, closely followed by forward deployed and solutions work. By Tokn category, LLM and generative AI leads (82 roles), then AI operations and automation (66), machine learning (59) and MLOps and infrastructure (58).
| Role family (by job title) | UK roles | Companies |
|---|---|---|
| Software / infrastructure engineer | 92 | 25 |
| Forward deployed / solutions | 77 | 21 |
| Research scientist / engineer | 60 | 14 |
| AI / applied AI engineer | 31 | 15 |
| ML / perception engineer | 29 | 12 |
| Graduate / intern | 13 | 8 |
| Head of / director / VP | 10 | 8 |
Forward deployed and solutions is inflated by Sierra and Decagon's language variants, but it is still a big door for software engineers who like customers: see our guide to the forward deployed engineer role, or browse LLM and generative AI jobs in the UK.
Research sits mostly at the labs (Anthropic, OpenAI, Cohere, H Company). Autonomous driving is a UK speciality thanks to Wayve; see machine learning jobs in the UK. Public sector and defence has its own titles: Cohere, Scale AI and Mistral all advertised UK public sector roles in October.
Entry-level is thin: 16 junior listings and 13 graduate or intern roles.
Head of AI jobs
Leadership roles are rare at AI-native companies: 10 head, director or VP titles at 8 companies on Tokn. Five posted a band, from £125,000–£175,000 (Fireworks AI, Head of GTM Field Strategy EMEA) to £240,000–£320,000 (Sierra, Engineering Manager). Most "Head of AI" jobs in the UK sit at banks, retailers and public bodies, which Tokn doesn't track.
London and beyond: where the AI jobs are
On Tokn, UK AI jobs are in London or remote from the UK: 312 stored in London, 68 remote and 6 with no city. None names Manchester, Edinburgh, Cambridge or another UK city. Even the remote rows often read "London, United Kingdom", which is why AI jobs in the UK is a better page to browse than the London page alone.
AI jobs in Manchester and other UK cities
The wider market exists outside London, mostly at companies Tokn doesn't track. ITJobsWatch counted 5,650 AI-mentioning ads outside London in the six months to 27 October 2026 (median salary £65,000), including 1,023 in the North West (£67,500). The AI Sector Study found about 75% of AI firms' registered offices in London, the South East and the East of England.
The government's AI Growth Zones (Oxfordshire, the North East, Wales, Lanarkshire) are data-centre sites: their jobs are mostly construction and operations, not ML engineering.
Hybrid, on-site or remote?
The new US agent companies want you in the London office. Sierra, Decagon and Applied Intuition supply 51 of the 87 on-site UK roles; without them, on-site falls to about 1 in 10.
| Work policy | UK (386) | Europe (967) |
|---|---|---|
| Hybrid | 28% | 26% |
| On-site | 23% | 22% |
| Full remote | 18% | 16% |
| Not stated | 32% | 36% |
Full remote is about twice France's rate (9%), mostly thanks to ElevenLabs and Cohere. More in our guide to remote AI jobs in Europe.
Tip: check the company board. Tokn stores one location per job. Mistral AI has 6 roles under London on Tokn, but about 70 of its postings list London as a possible location, mostly Paris-based roles.
What AI jobs pay in the UK
Posted London pay runs from about £100,000 to £180,000 for senior roles at scale-ups to £150,000 and well beyond at US AI companies and labs. All figures are posted bands: base salary, equity excluded.
Tokn read a GBP salary on 24% of UK roles, against 11% in France and 18% in Germany. Three US companies (Anthropic, Sierra, Decagon) supply 70 of the 93 UK salaries; without Anthropic and Sierra, coverage drops to 11%, level with France. Wayve, Cohere and ElevenLabs post no GBP bands.
| Group | Jobs | Median band |
|---|---|---|
| All UK roles with pay | 93 at 15 companies | £150,000–£245,000 |
| Excluding Anthropic and Sierra | 35 at 13 companies | £110,000–£150,000 |
| Anthropic only | 29 | £255,000–£325,000 |
| Sierra only (8 distinct roles) | 29 | £150,000–£245,000 |
We think £110,000 to £150,000 is the fairest benchmark outside the labs, though 35 jobs is a small sample. Before an offer, read how to negotiate an AI salary. Examples advertised in October 2026:
| Tier | Example role | Posted band |
|---|---|---|
| Consultancy | Ekimetrics Senior Data Scientist | £60k–£75k |
| Scale-up | Granola AI Engineer | £100k–£130k |
| Scale-up | Applied Intuition Forward Deployed Engineer | £100k–£160k |
| US AI company | Sierra Software Engineer, Agent | £150k–£315k |
| Lab | OpenAI Software Engineer | £194k–£280k |
| Lab | Anthropic Forward Deployed Engineer | £225k–£255k |
| Lab | Anthropic research roles | up to £630k–£640k |
Sierra's new grad software engineer roles advertised £120,000 to £150,000, the highest posted graduate pay on Tokn in the UK. For context, the ONS puts the UK median full-time salary at £40,911 (April 2026), and ITJobsWatch's median for London ads mentioning AI is £85,000.
Visas for AI jobs in the UK
If you are not British or Irish, you need a visa. Skilled Worker needs a sponsoring employer; Global Talent doesn't. Figures from gov.uk on 27 October 2026:
| Route | Who it's for | Job offer? | Key figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skilled Worker | Anyone with a sponsored job | Yes, licensed sponsor | £41,700 a year or the going rate, if higher |
| Global Talent | Leaders or potential leaders in digital tech | No | Endorsed by Tech Nation; up to 5 years; £766 |
| High Potential Individual | Graduates of eligible top non-UK universities, last 5 years | No | 2 years (3 for a PhD); £880; annual limit |
| Graduate | People who studied in the UK | No | 2 years if you apply by 31 Dec 2026, 18 months from 1 Jan 2027; £937 |
Under Skilled Worker, new entrants can be paid less: 70% of the going rate, minimum £33,400. Global Talent and HPI also carry the £1,035-a-year health surcharge. A new HPI allocation year and university list start on 1 November 2026, so check gov.uk for the current list. Check each posting for sponsorship rather than assuming it.
UK AI policy: what affects jobs
The government's AI Opportunities Action Plan: One Year On report (January 2026) says the Global Talent Taskforce's resources were doubled and talent visa routes expanded. The AI Security Institute has over 100 technical staff, backed with £240m at the 2025 Spending Review.
How to find an AI job in the UK
- Browse all AI jobs in the UK, which include the remote roles the London page misses.
- If you are a software engineer, target forward deployed and applied AI roles.
- Sort out your visa route early if you need one.
New roles appear every day. Set up a job alert for the UK to hear about them first.
FAQ
Where are most AI jobs in the UK?
In London. On Tokn, 312 of 386 UK AI listings are in London and most of the rest are remote UK roles. The AI Sector Study puts about 75% of AI firms' offices in London, the South East and the East.
Which companies hire the most for AI in the UK?
On Tokn, as of 28 October 2026: Wayve (38 roles), Anthropic (32), Sierra (30 listings, 8 distinct roles), OpenAI (24) and Cohere (24).
How much do AI jobs pay in the UK?
Outside Anthropic and Sierra, the median posted band is £110,000 to £150,000 (35 jobs at 13 companies). Labs pay more: Anthropic's median band is £255,000 to £325,000.
Are there AI jobs in Manchester?
Yes, in the wider market: ITJobsWatch counted 1,023 AI-mentioning ads in the North West in the six months to 27 October 2026 (median £67,500). The AI companies Tokn tracks hire in London or remotely, so remote roles are your best route from Manchester.
Which visa do I need for an AI job in the UK?
Skilled Worker if an employer sponsors you, Global Talent if Tech Nation endorses you, HPI if you recently graduated from an eligible top university, or the Graduate visa if you studied in the UK.
Do UK AI job ads show salaries?
About one in four on Tokn, mostly at Anthropic, Sierra and Decagon. Without Anthropic and Sierra, it's about one in nine, similar to France.
