Life sciences have long been at home in New Hampshire. Researchers, visionaries, and business leaders focused on everything from precision medicine to engineered organs have made the Granite State a leader in medicine, pharmaceuticals, biotech, medical device manufacturing, and beyond. Today, the state’s life sciences sector, comprised of more than 300 companies, continues its position as a national leader, but now all eyes are firmly focused on artificial intelligence and its ability to change the face of this flourishing sector.
Take Bio-AI Health in Goffstown, for example. This company is using AI to build predictive biomarker tests that can identify pathological and molecular factors that influence patient responses to therapy and drug resistance. Bio-AI Health has partnered with leading pharmaceutical and bio tech companies, clinical laboratories, and cancer centers across the globe to become an emerging leader in the development of predictive testing to improve cancer treatment.
It’s no surprise that AI-powered innovations are now emerging in New Hampshire’s healthcare systems, where they’re revolutionizing how medicine is practiced and healthcare is delivered. For example, in September 2022, Speare Memorial Hospital in Plymouth became the first hospital in the state to offer an AI system that’s designed to improve colonoscopy screenings by helping physicians better detect polyps. The GI GeniusTM intelligent endoscopy module, created by Ireland-based Medtronic, boasts a sensitivity rate per lesion of 99.7 percent. Southern New Hampshire Health quickly followed suit in 2023 and began offering this new AI-powered system.
The marriage of artificial intelligence and the life sciences sector just makes good sense in New Hampshire. After all, the state is uniquely positioned near the major research centers of Boston and Cambridge; it’s the site of leading universities like the University of New Hampshire and Dartmouth College; it boasts a highly educated workforce and low tax burden; and it’s home to the federally designated tech hub dubbed “ReGen Valley,” where burgeoning biotech companies are firmly focused on revolutionizing healthcare.
According to the New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs, between 2012 and 2021, New Hampshire’s life sciences workforce grew by more than 15 percent, adding about 1,500 jobs during this time. As of 2021, this industry had about 11,290 employees and reported more than $4 billion in sales.
Artificial intelligence in New Hampshire isn’t limited to the life sciences sector, either. It’s staking its claim in nearly every industry in the state, changing the shape of business in fields like advanced manufacturing, finance, transportation, agriculture, and logistics. Translation: there’s more opportunities than ever before to make your mark in artificial intelligence in the Granite State.
With a growing number of undergraduate and graduate programs in artificial intelligence, there’s no better time than now to earn the degree that will position you as a leader in the field. Whether you’re just beginning your career, or a practicing engineer, data scientist, or analyst interested in developing expertise in artificial intelligence, you’re sure to find an AI degree program that aligns with your career goals.
From Transistor Radios to AI: The Surprising Birth of Artificial Intelligence
You may be surprised to find that the birth of artificial intelligence occurred during a time when the biggest thing to hit the market was the transistor radio.
The summer of 1956 in Hanover, New Hampshire, was a monumental one. It was here, at Dartmouth College, that a group of scientists came together for the Dartmouth Summer Research Project on Artificial Intelligence. Between June 18 and August 17, a couple dozen bright minds assembled to talk about the future of computer science and the creation of machines that could mimic the human brain.
They were the first to use the term “artificial intelligence” to describe the field of study, and their summer meeting, by all accounts, paved the way for future study in the field. In fact, four of the scientists at this first conference were behind the future creation of some of the most prominent AI labs at universities across the country: Stanford, MIT, and Carnegie Mellon. The research at these labs undoubtedly drove the field of artificial intelligence for decades to come.
Though the participants had lofty beliefs of what AI could accomplish in the short-term (one participant said he believed that a computer would be able to beat a human at chess in just a decade), they succeeded in laying the framework of this interdisciplinary field, knowing that it would represent the convergence of several disciplines.
Following the conference, the concept of neural networks—machines that learn like the human brain—emerged. More than fifty years later, the neural network concept was solidified as the way forward in AI. And today, much of the research in artificial intelligence involves creating AI programs that learn tasks on their own.
AI Jobs in New Hampshire
According to Economic Modeling Specialists International, the high-tech sector here employs about 44,000 – that’s about 9 percent above the national average. The New Hampshire Center for Public Policy reports that jobs in the tech sector are one of the “leading drivers of New Hampshire’s economy.” This sector is expected to grow by 6 percent over the next five years, with demand for positions like software developers, industrial engineers, and computer systems analysts remaining high.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, jobs for AI professionals, who are categorized as computer information and research scientists, are expected to continue growing in the years to come. In the decade leading up to 2030, jobs in this field are projected to increase by an impressive 33 percent.
Artificial Intelligence Jobs in Concord and Salem
Scientists, engineers, and analysts in artificial intelligence are the talent behind the most innovative AI-forward products and services in New Hampshire, delivering solutions and solving problems for business and industry across the country and around the world.
- Senior event managers for AI developers at Intel in Concord are responsible for increasing awareness of Intel’s AI portfolio to the AI developer community through developer-focused events.
- Principal outbound solutions product managers (generative AI solutions) at Oracle in Concord are part of the generative AI outbound solutions team for the growing OCI’s Generative AI services and platform. These professionals work with teams of data scientists and developers from major Fortune 100 companies to deliver solutions focused on the protection of data.
- Applied scientists at Neo Cybernetica in Salem, a next-generation cybernetics startup, work on breakthrough robotics technology. These professionals integrate and test robotics embedded systems and sensors and collaborate with multifunctional teams within the company’s robotics lab.
AI Companies in Manchester and Claremont
Nearly every sector and industry are influenced by the power of artificial intelligence. In New Hampshire, companies are utilizing AI to help business and industry increase efficiency, solve problems, unlock potential, and remain competitive.
For example, Red River Technology LLC in Claremont is a managed IT services provider that helps organizations leverage AI, machine learning, and advanced analytics to meet their needs. The AI professionals here help businesses unlock the potential of their data through data strategy… embrace AI Operations (AIOps) to achieve efficiency, solve problems, and create a solid IT infrastructure… understand their data and recognize patterns through machine learning… mitigate risks and optimize processes through predictive analysis. It all serves to revolutionize business through generative AI and large language models.
SportsVisio, a new AI-powered software company headquartered in Manchester, boasts a revolutionary AI technology that delivers augmented reality to the amateur sports domain. Their AI technology allows users to stream an event in real-time while accessing insightful analytics and creating original augmented reality content. The technology analyzes statistics for both players and teams, creates and stores games and highlights, and then distributes it all to popular social media platforms.
Advances in academia are creating new opportunities for business and industry throughout New Hampshire. For example, in 2023, Dartmouth College opened its Center for Precision Health and Artificial Intelligence, a hub for interdisciplinary research for the safe and ethical use of biomedical data to assess and treat patients and improve their health outcomes. Launched with funding from the Geisel School of Medicine and Dartmouth Cancer Center, the center’s focus on precision health is aimed at personalizing healthcare treatments and disease prevention strategies that are tailored to a patient’s unique biology. Using AI, researchers can extract valuable data that can then be used to identify specific digital biomarkers. Clinicians can then use the data to predict disease risk, pinpoint an accurate diagnosis, and tailor treatment options. Here, university researchers will connect with clinicians and AI scientists and work on projects aimed at creating new digital tools for clinical settings. It will also create many new educational and training opportunities for students and other professionals interested in AI-driven precision health solutions.
AI Salary in New Hampshire
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), New Hampshire AI scientists and engineers, who fall under the broader BLS category of computer and information research scientists, earned a median salary of $107,400 as of May 2022. During the same period, those newest to the profession earned about $93,040, while those with extensive experience earned about $173,790.
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Master’s Degree and Certificate Courses in New Hampshire and Online
From bachelor’s degrees to master’s degrees to graduate and postgraduate certificates, new programs in artificial intelligence are coming online almost daily.
Bachelor’s degrees in AI, which are usually offered in computer science or engineering departments, are grounded in a strong math and science foundation that includes courses like linear algebra, calculus, and statistics. The AI core of these programs is focused on AI theory, methodologies, and applications and includes study in areas like robotics, autonomous systems, and smart systems.
Reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of the field, master’s degrees and graduate certificate programs in AI may be offered in schools of computer science, engineering, arts and sciences, and more. These programs often include opportunities to specialize in areas like cybersecurity, machine learning, robotics, perception and language, and human-AI interaction.
Many colleges and universities are now offering AI undergraduate and graduate degrees through fully online formats. These programs provide unmatched convenience and flexibility for busy, working professionals.
2022 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures for computer information and research scientists. Job growth projections from the US Department of Labor-sponsored resource, CareerOneStop. Figures are based on state data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed January 2024.