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Job Description

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

AI Algorithm Development Intern (Reinforcement Learning Focus)

We are looking for an AI Algorithm Development Intern to design and develop a self-learning AI agent capable of improving its performance through repeated interactions.

This role provides hands-on experience in Artificial Intelligence, Reinforcement Learning, and adaptive decision-making systems. You will focus on designing learning algorithms, optimizing strategy performance, and analyzing model behavior through iterative experimentation.

This position emphasizes AI algorithm development and learning system design, not hardware or robotics development.

Responsibilities:

Design and implement a Reinforcement Learning-based AI agent capable of learning and improving over time
Define and structure:
- State space
- Action space
- Reward functions
- Learning policies
Develop training pipelines and learning loops to enable performance improvement across repeated simulations
Analyze model performance, convergence behavior, and win-rate optimization
Experiment with different algorithms such as:
Optimize model parameters and improve learning efficiency
Conduct benchmarking and comparative evaluation of different AI strategies
Document algorithm design, experimental results, and learning insights
Present findings and performance improvements clearly to stakeholders

What You Will Gain:

Hands-on experience in Reinforcement Learning and Game AI
Practical exposure to AI experimentation and performance optimization
Experience implementing AI models from scratch
Opportunity to work on real-world adaptive decision systems

This position is part of our Early Career program at WD. Our Early Career program is designed to support individuals beginning their professional career by providing the foundational training through a structured onboarding, mentorship, and development curriculum.

Qualifications

REQUIRED:

Current student pursuing Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Machine Learning or equivalent experience.
Strong foundation in:
- Python programming
- Linear Algebra, Probability, and Statistics
- Algorithms and Data Structures
Basic knowledge of:
- Machine Learning concepts
- Model training and evaluation
- Optimization techniques
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
Good command of English (verbal and written)
Internship period: Minimum 3 months starting July 2026

PREFERRED:

Knowledge or project experience in:
- Reinforcement Learning (Q-Learning, SARSA, Policy Gradient, Deep Q-Network)
- Game AI development
- Self-learning or adaptive systems
- Strategy optimization algorithms (Minimax, Monte Carlo Tree Search)
Experience with:
- TensorFlow or PyTorch
- Simulation environments
- Reward function design
- Performance benchmarking and model tuning
Experience implementing AI models from scratch (not only using high-level libraries)

SKILLS:

Ability to design and implement an AI algorithm that learns from repeated interactions and improves decision-making over time
Ability to:
- Define state space and action space
- Design reward mechanisms
- Implement training loops and convergence logic
- Evaluate model performance and learning efficiency
Strong debugging and experimentation mindset
Ability to analyze learning behavior and optimize strategy performance
Independent research ability and fast learning capability

Project Scope

Develop a self-learning AI agent capable of:

Playing Tic-Tac-Toe against a human opponent
Learning from each game outcome
Improving win-rate over time using reinforcement learning techniques
Optimizing strategy through iterative training and evaluation

Focus area: AI Algorithm Design, Learning Strategy, and Performance Optimization

Additional Information

WD thrives on the power and potential of diversity. As a global company, we believe the most effective way to embrace the diversity of our customers and communities is to mirror it from within. We believe the fusion of various perspectives results in the best outcomes for our employees, our company, our customers, and the world around us. We are committed to an inclusive environment where every individual can thrive through a sense of belonging, respect and contribution.

WD is committed to offering opportunities to applicants with disabilities and ensuring all candidates can successfully navigate our careers website and our hiring process. Please contact us at [HIDDEN TEXT] to advise us of your accommodation request. In your email, please include a description of the specific accommodation you are requesting as well as the job title and requisition number of the position for which you are applying.

Notice To Candidates: Please be aware that WD and its subsidiaries will never request payment as a condition for applying for a position or receiving an offer of employment. Should you encounter any such requests, please report it immediately to WD Ethics Helpline or email [HIDDEN TEXT].

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