AI Engineer Intern– Entry Level Sales Program 2026

AI Engineer Intern

Technology sales at IBM is evolving its way of working to break beyond boundaries with innovative approaches. We're looking for undergraduate and graduate students who want to combine their technical interests and education with the people skills needed to prospect and co-create with customers, partners, and colleagues on solutions to our clients' most complex business challenges. In a world where technology moves at speed, it's essential that we stay ahead of the curve to provide tailored solutions that meet our clients' needs. It's not enough for us to have the technical expertise. We need to be great with people, too. To empathize. To understand. To collaborate on technical solutions that will improve lives all over the world. This is a summer 2026 position.

As an AI Engineer intern within our Client Engineering team, you'll harness your unique skills and perspectives to engage in the development and deployment of AI systems using our watsonx platform for pilots that lead to deployment of enterprise-scale solutions at start-up speed. IBM's Sales Internship Program culture will set you up for positive impact and success, whilst ongoing development will continually advance your skills. Our sales environment is collaborative and experiential. Part of a team, you'll be surrounded by bright minds - always willing to help- as you apply passion to work that will compel our clients to invest in IBM's products and services.

Your Role and Responsibilities

Being an AI Engineer Intern at IBM is not just a job title - it's a mindset. You'll leverage the watsonx platform to assist in co-creating AI value with clients, focusing on technology patterns to enhance repeatability and delight clients. Success is our passion, and your accomplishments will reflect this, driving your career forward, propelling your team to success, and helping our clients thrive. Your primary responsibilities will include, but not be limited to:

• Pre and Post Sales Pilots: Develop pilots to validate and highlight the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed AI solutions. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to implement and iterate on pilots, ensuring alignment with customer requirements and expectations while adhering to best practices and quality standards.
• Solution Optimization and Performance: Continuously monitor and optimize the performance of AI solutions, including foundation models and large language models. Identify opportunities to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and speed through fine-tuning, algorithmic improvements, or infrastructure optimization to meet performance requirements.
• Collaboration and Project Management: Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including AI engineers, platforms engineers, and members of the sales team, to ensure smooth execution and successful delivery of AI solutions. Effectively communicate project progress, risks, and dependencies to stakeholders.
• Industry Trends and Innovation: Stay up to date with the latest trends and advancements in AI, foundation models, and large language models. Evaluate emerging technologies, tools, and frameworks to assess their potential impact on solution design and implementation.

To Be Successful In This Role

You will need:

• Confidence to contact and engage potential new customers and deliver an elevated experience.
• Motivation to achieve sales, business objectives and high client satisfaction.
• Strong analytic, problem solving, and troubleshooting skills combined with an agile process.
• Embrace curiosity and a growth mindset.

This position requires you to be in one of the following IBM offices: Atlanta GA, Austin TX, Chicago IL, Dallas TX, New York NY, Raleigh NC, San Francisco CA, and Washington DC. Readiness to travel up to 50% annually.

IBM will not be providing visa sponsorship for this position now or in the future. Therefore, in order to be considered for this position, you must have the ability to work without a need for current or future visa sponsorship.

Required Technical and Professional Expertise

* Actively Enrolled: Registered undergraduate or graduate university student.

* Education: Seeking B.S. or M.S. degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Math, Statistics, Engineering or equivalent technical degree/experience.

* Programming: Working knowledge in Python, R, Java or language in similar discipline.

* Tech Savvy: Conversant about AI technology, latest industry trends and how it is being applied to address business challenges.

* Team Player: Demonstrates team collaboration and can navigate different communication styles.

* Excellent Communication Skills: Possess verbal, written, and interpersonal skills that are engaging, compelling and influential.

* Self-Starter: Motivated to work with clients and can lead projects independently.

Preferred Technical and Professional Experience

* Knowledge of AI frameworks such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, Keras or Hugging Face.

* Experience with LLM and foundational models.

* Understanding in the usage of libraries such as SciKit Learn, Pandas, Matplotlib, etc.

* Familiarity with open-source technology, automation and legacy coding (Cobol, C, Assembler) is a plus.

IBM is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, caste, genetics, pregnancy, disability, neurodivergence, age, veteran status, or other characteristics. IBM is also committed to compliance with all fair employment practices regarding citizenship and immigration status.