2026 Summer Intern – AI/ML Intern - Autonomous Vehicle Engineering (PhD)

Job Description

Work Arrangement: 
Hybrid: This internship is categorized as hybrid. The selected intern is expected to report to the office up to three times per week or as determined by the team. 

Locations:  

San Francisco, California 

Sunnyvale, California  

Mountain View, California  

About the Team: 

The AI Research organization is dedicated to advancing the state-of-the-art in AI for autonomous vehicles. We are a collaborative, forward-thinking group of researchers and engineers tackling some of the most complex challenges in autonomy and machine learning. 

About the Role: 
As an AI/ML Research Intern on the AI Research team, you’ll work on cutting-edge projects advancing vehicle autonomy, developing algorithms and models that shape the future of self-driving technology. This internship provides experience with real-world AI/ML systems, collaboration with leading researchers and engineers, and mentorship from experienced AV researchers to grow your skills in the autonomous vehicle industry. 

What You’ll Do:  

• Lead research and prototyping of advanced machine learning methods, such as foundation models, vision-language architectures, diffusion models, image/video generation, self-supervised learning, imitation learning, and reinforcement learning. 

• Prototype ML models that improve perception, prediction, or decision-making for autonomous driving. 

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including perception, robotics, and systems engineering. 

• Participate in technical discussions, share insights, and work towards publishing results. 

Required Qualifications:  

• Currently pursuing or in the process of obtaining a Ph.D. in Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science, or a related technical field. 

• Solid understanding of modern machine learning techniques, especially deep learning architectures (e.g., transformers, generative models, multimodal learning). 

• Proficiency in Python and ML frameworks such as PyTorch or TensorFlow. 

• Research experience in AI/ML, demonstrated through coursework, academic projects, or publications. 

• Strong problem-solving skills and a collaborative mindset. 

• Strong communication and presentation skills. 

• Experience working and communicating cross functionally in a team environment. 

• Able to work fulltime, 40 hours per week 

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Familiarity with autonomous vehicles or advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). 

• Experience working with large-scale datasets and training ML models in high-performance computing environments. 

• Intent to return to degree program after the completion of the in