AI Researcher - DeepSearch

About xAI

xAI’s mission is to create AI systems that can accurately understand the universe and aid humanity in its pursuit of knowledge.

Our team is small, highly motivated, and focused on engineering excellence. This organization is for individuals who appreciate challenging themselves and thrive on curiosity.

We operate with a flat organizational structure. All employees are expected to be hands-on and to contribute directly to the company’s mission. Leadership is given to those who show initiative and consistently deliver excellence. Work ethic and strong prioritization skills are important.

All engineers and researchers are expected to have strong communication skills. They should be able to concisely and accurately share knowledge with their teammates.

About the Role

The DeepSearch team is responsible for providing the best experience with Grok DeepSearch and search-related products. In this role, you will be at the forefront of AI search and agent, building systems from scratch and driving progress that will directly impact our product user experience, while contributing to the AI model and system quality and capability. You will be exposed to both cutting-edge research and high-impact user-facing products in this role.

Tech Stack

• Python
• Jax
• Rust

Focus

• Develop and optimize AI model and systems to deep exploration of massive web information
• Develop and craft delightful and efficient product features and interfaces for Grok search.
• Advance the state of the art for AI search through research, exploration, and real-world iteration
• Work closely with the research and data teams to develop training and evaluation pipelines
• Deploy novel agent ideas to product to support our DeepSearch products
• Collaborate with researchers, engineers, and product teams to integrate search capabilities into broader AI models and products

Ideal Experience

Ideal candidates may have one or more experiences below:

• Experience working with consumer-facing product growth
• Experience working on modern Search and RAG systems
• Experience with developing real world agent systems and products
• Strong background in algorithms and data structures relevant to search, such as inverted indices, vector space models, and ranking algorithms
• Familiarity with distributed systems and infrastructure for scalable search deployments
• Ability to work independently and drive projects forward in a fast-paced environment

Interview Process

After submitting your application, the team reviews your CV and statement of exceptional work. If your application passes this stage, you will be invited to a 15 minute interview (“phone interview”) during which a member of our team will ask some basic questions. If you clear the initial phone interview, you will enter the main process, which consists of four technical interviews:

1. Coding assessment in a language of your choice.
2. Systems hands-on: Demonstrate practical skills in a live problem-solving session.
3. Project deep-dive: Present your past exceptional work to a small audience.
4. Meet and greet with the wider team.

Our goal is to finish the main process within one week. All interviews will be conducted via Google Meet.

xAI is an equal opportunity employer and does not unlawfully discriminate based on race, color, religion, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, medical conditions, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other applicable legally protected characteristics. 

Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, including the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the California Fair Chance Act. 

For Los Angeles County (unincorporated) Candidates:

xAI reasonably believes that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship on the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment: 

• Access to information technology systems and confidential information, including proprietary and trade secret information, and/or user data;
• Interacting with internal and/or external clients and colleagues; and
• Exercising sound judgment.

California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) Notice