A former OpenAI intern shares 3 tips for breaking into AI

Hamza Mostafa interned at OpenAI in 2025. Courtesy of Hamza Mostafa When Hamza Mostafa started studying computer science at university, he pictured going into traditional software engineering at a Big Tech company after he graduated.As time went on, though, he decided to specialize in AI. In 2024, he landed a three-month internship at OpenAI for the following year.In an interview with Business Insider, Mostafa, 21, who is based in San Francisco and works on his own AI projects, shared his tips for people who want to take advantage of the AI boom and specialize in the field.3 steps for breaking into AI: Go broad, specialize, and buildAs AI and machine learning are quite broad topics, Mostafa suggested gaining a general understanding of the field before zeroing in on a specialization."For me, that was agents," he said.Once you've chosen your specialization, dive deep into it and start building projects around it. This can help identify gaps in your understanding and gain practical knowledge."The best way I learn is by doing and by building," Mostafa said. These projects can become something concrete to discuss during interviews to show employers you've explored the field, he said.People who can show they "understand things at a very deep level" and follow the three-step formula of gaining a broad understanding, followed by picking a specialization, and building projects, are "highly employable," Mostafa believes.Ask AI to teach you about AIWhen building an understanding of the AI field, AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude can help teach key concepts, Mostafa said."I still do this every day. I'll go on Claude or ChatGPT and have it explain these concepts to me to make sure I really understand to the deepest level, but also to a level where I can explain it to my mother, for example, who doesn't really understand AI," he said.When Mostafa was beginning to research AI himself, he made use of YouTube, searching for "intro to AI" videos that could explain natural language processing and large language models."I'm sure there's probably tons of other blogs or resources that are great too," he added. Mostafa used YouTube to learn more about AI. Courtesy of Hamza Mostafa Focus on what you can control"The tech ecosystem sometimes can be a bit toxic," Mostafa said, adding that opening LinkedIn and seeing people talk about the rough job market or the hot job they've landed can be demotivating.Though he knew he couldn't control the job market, he concentrated on getting his résumé in order and trying to network."For me, what really helped was focusing on what's in my control," he said, encouraging students and job seekers trying to break into the industry to do the same.Do you have a story to share about breaking into AI? Contact this reporter at ccheong@businessinsider.com Read next Charissa Cheong is a senior first-person reporter on Business Insider's Business Contributors and Freelance team, based in London. She covers: How visa pathways impact careers, what it’s like working at the world’s biggest companies or alongside its most prominent leaders, how the AI revolution is affecting professionals, and more. Charissa’s work spans a wide range of topics, but the unifying thread is first-person storytelling — sharing people’s unique career and life experiences in their own voice, with their own words. She writes in Business Insider’s signature “As-told-to” format, which is designed to highlight powerful perspectives in a conversational way. She also commissions and edits personal essays from freelance writers and contributors. Charissa joined Business Insider in 2022 on the digital culture desk, covering family vlogging, online harassment, and influencer culture. She moved to the contributors and freelance team in 2024.She graduated from the University of Cambridge with a BA in English and holds a gold standard NCTJ Level 5 journalism diploma.If you have an experience you would like to share in a first-person story for Business Insider, get in touch with Charissa via email at ccheong@businessinsider.com or Signal at charissacheong.63ExpertiseFirst-person journalism focused on careers, Big Tech, employment visas, and immigration. Selected storiesThe Big Tech Visa: 7 immigrants share their experience working in the US on the H-1B visa I worked at Amazon during its early years. Jeff Bezos didn't seem to care about anything but his mission — but it was hard not to like him.The career advice Jensen Huang gave meInside India’s “Silicon Valley”: a city straining under pressure I called myself 'James' on my résumé and finally got a job. Here's why I've started using my birth name again at work. OpenAI AI