AI Engineering Intern

About the Mission
TerraByte Green is a non-profit startup based in North Carolina, focused on the intersection of digital equity and environmental sustainability. We manage e-waste responsibly by refurbishing technology to bridge the digital divide.

The Big Picture
This is a fully remote internship, though candidates based in North Carolina, especially those local to our operating area, are preferred. You will learn how to build AI harnesses, the tools and guardrails that allow AI models to query, write, modify, and delete data in a database. This is a hands on opportunity to build real AI engineering experience by designing the systems that connect AI models to the data a growing organization runs on.

What You Will Do

• Learn how AI models use tools and function calls to interact with external systems

• Build and test tools that let AI models query, create, update, and delete database records

• Design safeguards for AI driven data changes, including permission checks, input validation, and confirmation steps before writes or deletions

• Build and test in development databases before any tool is used on live data

• Write documentation for each tool, covering what it does, what inputs it accepts, and what data it can change

• Follow TerraByte Green data handling rules for any work involving donor or participant information

• Help identify gaps in how AI tools are used across the organization and propose improvements

Why This Opportunity Matters

• You get real, portfolio ready AI engineering experience building tools from scratch

• You will learn how AI models connect to real data systems, an active area of AI development

• You will build skills in API design, database operations, access control, and testing, all of which transfer directly to future technical roles

• You will receive mentorship, a letter of recommendation or reference, and networking opportunities within the nonprofit space

Compensation
This is an unpaid internship. Our priority is giving you real experience, mentorship, and professional material you can use to grow your career, with the goal of transitioning capable interns into paid roles as the organization’s revenue grows.

Requirements & Onboarding

• North Carolina residency preferred, open to fully remote candidates

• Commitment of a minimum of 5 hours per week and maximum of 40 hours for a 3 month internship

• Some programming experience (for example, Python or JavaScript) and basic familiarity with databases or SQL

• No prior AI engineering experience required. We are looking for reliability and technical curiosity over existing skill

Internship Disclaimer
This is an unpaid volunteer internship with TerraByte Green, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. There is no compensation, wage, or salary associated with this role, and no expectation of compensation, express or implied, is created by this posting or by any communication during the application or internship process. The internship is structured for the primary benefit of the intern, providing training, mentorship, and hands on experience comparable to what would be gained in an educational setting, rather than to fill a role that would otherwise be performed by paid staff. The internship duration is limited to the period defined at the start of the engagement (3 months), reflecting the period in which the intern receives meaningful educational and professional benefit. Acceptance of this internship does not create any express or implied entitlement to future paid employment with TerraByte Green, though capable interns may be considered for future paid roles as organizational funding allows. Applicants must be authorized to volunteer in the United States.