AI, machine learning and data science roles accounted for 49,200 job postings in 2025, up 163% from the previous year, according to professional recruiting firm Robert Half’s recent “Demand for Skilled Talent” report.
Like other industries, health insurance has been leaning into AI capabilities, such as by enhancing customer service, forecasting member health risks, verifying claims and simplifying prior authorization workflows. At the same time, some health plan executives have struggled to show whether steep investments are worthwhile.
Amid high demand for AI-focused jobs across industries, Becker’s connected with Elevance Health’s Ryan Craig and Blue Shield of California’s Haley Mixon, both executive vice presidents and CHROs, about which capabilities their companies are seeking. The overarching theme: Payers want to be intentional with their hiring strategies and focus on readying internal talent.
What companies want
Blue Shield of California is looking for support with reviewing, applying, governing and scaling AI-enabled programs. Not all of those roles are inherently technical, Ms. Mixon said.
“Some of the emerging needs include expertise in AI governance, data and analytics, product and platform development, cybersecurity and responsible use,” she said.
Mr. Craig broke down Elevance’s workplace AI strategy as 70% reskilling and 30% attracting the right capabilities that cannot be built internally. One way the company has worked on reskilling its current staff is through a partnership with OpenAI, offering employee certifications.
A cautionary tale
The AI landscape is evolving rapidly. Mr. Craig said rather than diving headfirst into hiring for the latest buzzy job title, he is operating with caution. Prompt engineers are a prime example.
Mr. Craig said he read an article more than one year ago that claimed prompt engineering was “the hottest job.” Fast-forward just a few months: That seems to no longer be the case. The Wall Street Journal went so far as to call prompt engineers “obsolete.”
“Two months later, there were no prompt engineering jobs because we all learned how to do our own AI prompts,” he said, adding that “we’ve all become savvier with it.”
But industry peers had already jumped on the bandwagon, hiring teams of prompt engineers and project managers.
“I was curious, but I was cautious, and I’m glad I was in retrospect,” Mr. Craig said.
When is creating a new job title worth it?
Some traditional roles have evolved as AI went mainstream and became a staple in daily work. A shiny new job title may not always be warranted, Ms. Mixon said. Instead, her AI strategy is “more about ensuring our teams have the right capabilities to use AI safely, effectively and responsibly,” she said.
Mr. Craig said Elevance has focused on just one new job title: distinguished engineer.
“They have the ability of one part process engineering, one part technical reengineering and one part educating and almost evangelizing,” Mr. Craig said. “That to me was the unique skill set we needed to bring in.”
That last piece — “educating and almost evangelizing” — suggests distinguished engineers are not designed to be siloed. They are supposed to bring technical expertise, while also informing and building a culture around AI throughout the broader, existing workforce.
The future of hiring for AI capabilities
Despite the new distinguished engineer position, Mr. Craig does not predict amped-up hiring for the role going forward.
“I actually see we will be able to build the talent internally with the distinguished engineers that we’ve been bringing in and how they’ve been able to skill up our current associate base,” he said. “I don’t see the demand of needing as many distinguished engineers in the future.”
Ms. Mixon said Blue Shield of California intends to keep recruiting relevant talent while fostering skills internally.
“Our goal is to recruit talent with — and support our employees to build — the skills, confidence and curiosity to use AI responsibly, while ensuring people remain essential to solving complex problems, strengthening relationships and advancing our mission,” she said.
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