AI Developer Fall Intern

Gilder Search Group; Ellicott City (MD); On-site; USD 41,328 - 55,104; Full time

Job summary

HCIactive is seeking an AI Developer Intern for a 90-day summer internship at our Ellicott City, MD HQ. The role is in-office only, with strong potential to transition to full-time if performance aligns with our AI-first development approach.

The candidate should have a solid CS foundation, excellent communication, and a willingness to learn mature engineering patterns. Graduation by December 2026 is preferred, and Cursor experience is a strong plus.

Qualifications

• Must have already graduated or be on track to graduate no later than December 2026.
• Experience with AI development tooling and workflows is highly valued.
• Strong CS fundamentals and problem-solving skills are essential.

Responsibilities

• Participate in AI development tasks during the 90-day internship.
• Demonstrate technical ability, learning speed, and initiative.
• Align with HCIactive’s AI-first development approach and workflows.

Skills

Strong communication

CS fundamentals

Adaptability

AI tooling

Self-motivation

Engineering patterns

Full-stack familiarity

Cursor experience

Claude Code

GitHub Copilot

ChatGPT

Education

Graduating by Dec 2026

Tools

Cursor

Claude Code

GitHub Copilot

ChatGPT

Job description

Job description

AI Developer Intern — 90 Day Internship with Potential Full-Time Opportunity. This position is located in our Ellicott City, MD HQ working with the rest of our AI developers. It requires being in-office and is not a remote or hybrid position.

What We’re Looking For

HCIactive is a forward-thinking, highly experienced AI development organization that has fully transformed into an AI-first development shop. We are looking for a highly motivated AI Developer Intern for a 90-day summer internship / trial period, with the shared intention of transitioning into a full-time role immediately afterward if the fit is strong for both the candidate and HCIactive. Candidates must have already graduated or be on track to graduate no later than December 2026.

This internship is designed for someone who can quickly adopt and effectively use our mature AI development toolkits, workflows, and engineering patterns. During the 90-day period, the candidate will have the opportunity to demonstrate their technical ability, communication skills, learning speed, initiative, and alignment with HCIactive’s AI-first development approach.

The ideal candidate will have an exceptionally strong foundation in computer science, excellent communication skills, and a strong desire to work with the bleeding edge of AI-powered software development. This role requires someone who can learn quickly, follow established development patterns, adapt to shifting priorities, and take initiative in a fast-moving environment.

Key qualities and experience include:

• Excellent communication skills, both internally with team members and externally with stakeholders or users.
• Strong computer science fundamentals, including software design, data structures, algorithms, debugging, and problem-solving.
• Ability to adapt quickly to changing priorities, emerging technologies, and evolving project needs.
• High enthusiasm for bleeding-edge AI technologies, including AI-assisted development, prompt-driven workflows, and modern AI tooling.
• Self-motivated and proactive, with the ability to take initiative, ask good questions, and move work forward independently.
• Ability to follow mature engineering patterns, since HCIactive has been using AI-assisted development practices for over three years and has well-established workflows.
• Familiarity with full-stack development is a plus, including frontend, backend, APIs, databases, and cloud-based application architecture.
• Experience with AI development tools such as Cursor, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT, or similar tools is a strong plus. Must have Cursor experience.
• Strong willingness to learn and adopt HCIactive’s AI development toolkits, coding standards, and implementation patterns within the 90 day internship period.
• Candidates must have already graduated or be on track to graduate no later than December 2026

Compensation between $30-$40/hour base on experience.

**Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States at the time of hire. The Company is not able to sponsor employment visas or provide employment-based immigration sponsorships now or in the future for this position.