Artificial Intelligence Intern

Description

Summary

This internship is purpose-built for a hands-on, fast-learning technologist who thrives at the intersection of AI tools, workflow design, and code. The position works directly alongside our leadership and staff to identify opportunities, prototype solutions, and implement AI capabilities that make a real difference — for our members and our teams.

Essential Functions

Contribute across three core capability areas:

AI Chat & Conversational Tools

• Design, prompt-engineer, and deploy conversational AI assistants for internal staff and member-facing use cases
• Evaluate and fine-tune large language model (LLM) responses to align with Sunward's voice and member service standards
• Build knowledge bases, FAQs, and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) pipelines to ground AI responses in accurate, institution-specific information

Process Orchestration & Workflow Automation

• Map existing manual processes and identify high-impact automation opportunities across departments
• Build and deploy AI-powered process orchestration workflows using tools such as AWS, n8n, LangChain, or similar platforms
• Collaborate with teams to pilot, iterate, and scale automations — measuring time savings and quality improvements

AI-Assisted Development & Coding

• Write, review, and refactor Python, JavaScript, Golang, or other code using AI-assisted development tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Claude, Warp)
• Build lightweight internal tools, dashboards, and integrations that connect AI capabilities with existing credit union systems
• Document solutions clearly so that non-technical staff can operate and maintain them

Requirements

Qualifications

Experience

• Demonstrated experience working with AI tools and platforms — including LLMs, prompt engineering, or AI APIs (e.g., OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini)
• Experience with retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), vector databases, or embedding models preferred
• Prior internship, project, or freelance experience applying AI to real-world business problems preferred
• Exposure to cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP) and API integration patterns preferred
• Portfolio, GitHub profile, or capstone project showcasing applied AI work preferred

Education

• Currently enrolled in or recently completed a graduate-level program (Master's or PhD) in Computer Science, Data Science, Information Systems, AI/ML, or a closely related field

Knowledge

• Programming proficiency in Python, Golang, and/or JavaScript; comfortable reading and writing production-quality code
• Familiarity with at least one process automation or orchestration platform (LangChain, n8n, Make, Zapier, AutoGen, AWS, or similar)
• Familiarity with financial services, credit unions, or regulated industries preferred

Skills/Abilities

• Strong communication skills — able to explain technical concepts clearly to non-technical stakeholders
• Self-directed, curious, and comfortable with ambiguity in a fast-moving environment

Physical Requirements/Work Environment

• Primarily sedentary role performed in an office setting 
• Prolonged periods of working at a computer, including viewing screens and using a keyboard and mouse 
• Ability to attend meetings and collaborative sessions, virtually or in person, with occasional movement within the workplace 
• Work environment is generally professional, collaborative, and moderately paced 
• Requires sustained mental focus, analytical thinking, and problem-solving 
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and shifting priorities