A bot to help you: businesses have started actively hiring AI directors
The business began to massively introduce a relatively new position of director of artificial intelligence (AI), Izvestia learned. The demand for these specialists has increased 2-3 times in recent months. Such a top manager is responsible for the development and integration of AI assistants, data management, compliance with regulatory requirements, and interaction with IT and business units. The salary of specialists ranges from 500 thousand to 1 million rubles, and in the future their presence in the staff of companies will become a standard criterion, experts say.
Why do companies introduce such a position?
Russian companies have begun to actively introduce the position of Director of artificial intelligence (AI directors). Until recently, such a position practically did not exist, but today the demand for it is growing rapidly, MWS AI told Izvestia. In recent months, the need for AI directors has increased 2-3 times. Previously, only the largest corporations were interested in such personnel, but now medium—sized businesses are also involved in their search - they are striving to keep up with the rapidly developing digital transformation.
—The Director of Artificial Intelligence plays a key role: he is responsible for the development and implementation of AI assistants, data management, compliance with regulatory requirements and building communication between IT and business," the company explained.
An interlocutor of Izvestia in one of the corporations said that the monthly income of an AI director in large companies varies from 500 thousand to 1 million rubles. The final amount depends on the industry, the scale of the company and the level of ambitions in the field of artificial intelligence implementation.
AI directors are not just technical specialists, but strategists, agents of change, and advocates of an ethical approach to digitalization, said Pavel Prikhodko, Chief engineer of Rocket Control.
— Their task is not just to implement AI, but to determine how artificial intelligence will help achieve the goals of a company or government agency, for example, to increase sales. They find tasks where AI can really help, rather than implementing technology "just because it's fashionable," he said.
After the first successful AI project, an understanding and trust in technology is usually formed within an organization, and subsequent digitalization proceeds much faster, the expert emphasized.
In addition, they work as coordinators, collaborating with IT companies to implement AI solutions such as chatbots or predictive analytics in medicine, housing, industry, security and other areas.
Today, many companies are undergoing an AI transformation. This is not just the introduction of technology, but a rethinking and transformation of business using AI solutions with a focus on real financial effects, according to MWS AI. Special attention is paid to the formation of an AI team. All solutions are structured across cross- and industry—specific areas, from customer support and HR to lawyers, analytics, and development. Each direction has its own scenarios, products, and components.
Which companies have already implemented this position
In large Russian companies, artificial intelligence has already taken an important place in the management and operational structure. For example, X5 systematically automates processes, implements robotics, and uses AI where it provides real efficiency. This is not just a response to challenges such as staff shortages, it is an investment in a sustainable model for the future of retail, Alexander Kostin, Managing Director of X5 Tech, told Izvestia.
— Last fall, we created an AI department, whose main task is to develop artificial intelligence in X5. Everything related to AI and machine learning (ML) will be enhanced by us in terms of investments," he stressed.
Severstal has long had a director of digital transformation who leads developments in the field of artificial intelligence, the company told Izvestia. There are more than 100 people in the team, over 60 solutions in the project portfolio, and in 2024 the economic effect from them amounted to more than 2 billion rubles.
"We expect that by 2030, 90% of Severstal's employees and 90% of its processes will have to use AI to some extent," the company said.
Avito said that the position of director of artificial intelligence in the company has existed for a long time — it is occupied by Andrey Rybintsev, one of the first experts in the AI field of the company and in the Russian market, the press service said.
— In 2025, we adopted a strategy in which generative AI has become one of the key drivers of long-term growth. Andrey's area of responsibility includes key departments responsible for the development and implementation of AI technologies at all levels in the Avito product — more than 900 specialists in total. These are the departments of Data Science, search and recommendations, data analytics, as well as the new AI Experience cluster, which is creating AI assistants, the company told Izvestia.
These technologies can provide Avito with at least 21 billion rubles of additional revenue by 2028, they estimated.
The Yandex press service confirmed to Izvestia that they have such a position, but did not disclose the details. The editorial board sent inquiries to other market participants.
In recent months, the demand for AI directors in Russia has increased significantly, primarily due to large corporations, banks, telecoms and industrial companies. According to open HR platforms alone, the number of vacancies with such functions has increased by more than 30-40% since the beginning of the year, Anton Nemkin, a member of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, Information Technologies and Communications, federal coordinator of the Digital Russia party project, confirmed the trend.
The Director of AI is the link between developers and business, a specialist who forms a strategy for the implementation of AI throughout the organization, assesses risks, deals with ethical aspects and monitors effectiveness, he noted.
It can be expected that in the next year or two, the position of AI director will become as standard as the director of digital transformation or the director of IT. Especially against the background of the rapid growth of regulatory attention to AI, we need a specialist who can not only develop technologies, but also ensure compliance with new requirements and standards, the deputy noted.
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