A new study has found that when it comes to hiring for artificial intelligence roles, employers are looking for one skill above all others – AWS.
Experts at AI search analytics platform Peec AI analysed 10,420 job listings in the UK related to artificial intelligence, such as ‘data scientist’ and ‘machine learning engineer.’
According to the findings, Cloud computing skills dominate demand, with half of the top 10 skills related to infrastructure or deployment capabilities.
AWS leads the way, showing up in 5,561 AI job descriptions. This represents more than half (53%) of all artificial intelligence job descriptions and highlights both Amazon Cloud’s platform dominance and the critical role of Cloud infrastructure in deploying and scaling AI applications.
Machine learning places second with 4,504 mentions in job descriptions (43%). As a core AI competency, it shows that employers are prioritising professionals who understand the fundamental principles powering modern AI systems.
Python, Data Science, SQL, and C++ round out the top six most-requested skills, with 4,263, 2,660, 2,358 and 1,856 mentions in job listings, respectively. This suggests a high demand for programming and data handling capabilities in AI roles.
Infrastructure skills are the second most sought-after type of capability, with DevOps being the seventh most popular requirement at 1,686 mentions – while still high, demand is 23% less than that of AWS.
CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment) appears in 1,650 job descriptions (16%). Professionals with this expertise help companies release AI models quickly and reliably, giving them the agility to innovate and stay competitive.
Chatbots are mentioned in 1,611 job descriptions (15%), placing them ninth overall. The growing use of conversational AI in customer service, healthcare, and retail is driving this demand and shows how important customer-facing AI has become for businesses.
Java completes the top 10 most in-demand skills for AI jobs, featuring in 1,404 descriptions (13%). Its continued presence in the top skills list suggests that traditional enterprise technologies still play a significant role alongside newer AI tools.
The research identified several other valuable capabilities beyond the top 10. Kubernetes places 11th with 1,139 mentions (11%), while JavaScript (12th) and Microsoft Excel (13th) both appear in approximately 10% of job descriptions with 1,071 and 1,039 mentions, respectively.
Scalability and Docker follow closely, each appearing in about 9% of listings with 983 and 909 mentions, respectively. Data Engineering and Terraform are also among the most popular skills with 871 and 803 mentions (8% of job descriptions).
The study also revealed an interesting mix of both established and emerging technologies among the top 20 most in-demand skills. While JavaScript (1,071 mentions) and Microsoft Excel (1,039) represent traditional technical skills that remain relevant, newer capabilities like Data Engineering (871) and Deep Learning (748) are rising in importance.
Business-oriented skills also appear in the data, though less prominently than technical capabilities. Product Management features in 6% of job descriptions (662 mentions), placing 20th overall, while Digital Transformation also appears in 6% of listings (but with 649 mentions) at 24th place. This suggests a growing recognition of the need to align AI development with business objectives and organisational change.
Malte Landwehr, CMO of Peec AI, commented on the findings: “These results show how cloud computing skills have become as fundamental as traditional programming languages in AI careers. The high ranking of AWS is not surprising given its market position, but the strong showing of both infrastructure and coding skills tells us something important.
“What’s particularly interesting is that while machine learning and Python land highly in the ranking as expected, we’re seeing a strong demand for infrastructure and operational skills like DevOps and CI/CD. This suggests companies are looking for talent who can take AI projects beyond the lab, making sure models run smoothly, securely and at scale in real-world environments.
“The presence of chatbots in the top ten highlights the growing value of conversational AI. Businesses increasingly want experts who can design and deliver these tools in ways that enhance customer experience and drive engagement.”
