AI & Data Science Intern

Job Description

Job Title: AI & Data Science Intern (Intelligence & AI Team)

About the Program:

APCO is seeking motivated seniors and recent graduates to join our full-time, paid internship program. This program is specifically focused on artificial intelligence, research, and data science. Interns will gain valuable on-the-job training and will be embedded within one or more of APCO’s North American office teams. You will be treated as a professional staff member, actively participating in team meetings, contributing ideas, and supporting the development and deployment of AI-powered solutions for both client work and internal initiatives.

This internship is a key part of APCO’s Intelligence & AI team. As an AI & Data Science Intern, you will play a crucial role in building and testing machine learning models, training AI agents, and contributing to intelligent systems designed to enhance campaign performance, audience targeting, and strategic decision-making. The focus will be on applications specifically for advocacy campaigns, policy initiatives, and reputation management efforts.

Location: Washington, DC office

Key Responsibilities:

• Assist in building, training, and evaluating machine learning models using Python and relevant libraries (e.g., scikit-learn, TensorFlow, PyTorch).
• Support the development and fine-tuning of AI agents for tasks such as content generation, sentiment analysis, and predictive analytics, including policy document analysis, stakeholder mapping, message optimization, and regulatory intelligence gathering.
• Clean, organize, and analyze structured and unstructured datasets to extract insights from diverse sources including social media platforms, news outlets, government databases, survey responses, and client-specific data repositories across key sectors like energy, financial services, healthcare, and technology.
• Train AI models on project-specific datasets, including social media data analysis, stakeholder communications, desk research reports, and survey reports.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (strategists, account teams, creative professionals) to integrate AI solutions into broader campaign strategies for corporations, governments, and advocacy organizations.
• Contribute to APCO’s custom Intelligence & AI solutions development, including bespoke “decision support command centers” for clients, integrating secure, proprietary data lakes with real-time feeds and custom dashboards.
• Support the creation of AI-powered dashboards and tools for tracking project-specific metrics.
• Document model performance, testing results, and technical workflows.
• Conduct research on emerging AI tools, techniques, and ethical considerations.
• Contribute to brainstorming sessions and strategic planning around AI applications for client projects and internal strategic initiatives.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Recent college graduate or senior in class standing, preferably in computer science, data science, engineering, or a related field.
• Some proficiency in Python and familiarity with machine learning frameworks.
• Preferred experience in natural language processing (NLP) libraries.
• Demonstrated interest in artificial intelligence, data science, or computational modeling.
• Interest in working with proprietary AI platforms and contributing to the development of custom intelligence solutions for high-stakes strategic advisory work.
• Comfort in a fast-paced environment collaborating with a distributed team, including working with non-technical stakeholders such as strategists, policy experts, and campaign managers.
• Strong analytical thinking and problem-solving skills with the ability to translate complex technical concepts for strategy and advocacy applications.
• Organized and attentive to detail.
• Preferred: Coursework or experience in statistics, survey methodology, social science research methods, or social media listening.
• Able to multi-task and approach assignments independently.
• A plus: Interest in current events, political processes, corporate communications, and the intersection of technology with public discourse across multiple sectors.
• Interest in contributing to cutting-edge AI applications that combine human expertise with machine intelligence to solve complex challenges in corporate reputation, crisis management, policy advocacy, and stakeholder engagement.
• Available to work 40 hours per week.
• Requires US Work Authorization; candidates with CPT/OPT/Post-OPT status cannot be considered.

Working Hours & Environment:

• Interns work 40 hours per week, Monday to Friday.
• APCO is committed to a hybrid and flexible working environment. You will have the option to work from home on certain days and come into the office for team collaboration and cultural engagement.
• A company laptop will be provided to facilitate seamless work from home and in the office.

Compensation:

• This is a paid internship at a fixed hourly rate of $17.95.

Application & Internship Dates:

• Application Closing Date: Friday, February 27th.
• Internship Program Dates: Begins Tuesday, June 16th and ends Friday, December 11th, 2026.

About APCO:

APCO is a global advisory and advocacy firm founded in 1984. As an independent, majority women-owned firm, APCO comprises more than 1,200 employees working across 80 markets worldwide. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., APCO’s team of strategic advisers, consultants, and creators collaborate across borders and functions. They provide expertise on financial, competitive, political, and societal issues to leading corporations, foundations, and governments.

APCO serves as a trusted partner to leaders, lawmakers, government officials, NGOs, and the media in sectors such as health, energy, technology, transportation & infrastructure, and food & consumer products. For 40 years, APCO has delivered public affairs, crisis & reputation, impact, corporate reputation, and global solutions services. The firm is renowned for its ability to champion clients’ interests, build their reputation, and strengthen their standing through an integrated approach and a team of tenacious and empathic talent. APCO fosters progress by bringing diverse people and ideas together, working beyond traditional boundaries to build un/common ground.

Diversity & Inclusion:

APCO is committed to building teams that bring the best possible expertise and robust perspectives to clients through its recruitment, hiring, and retention efforts. We embrace differences in experience, viewpoint, and ideas, aiming to create a positive work experience and a welcoming environment where everyone feels they belong and can thrive. APCO is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages applications from all qualified candidates regardless of race, national origin, citizenship, native language, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital or parental status, religion, age, veteran status, neurodivergence, mental or physical disability, medical history, pregnancy, political belief or affiliation, or any other characteristic protected by law. EOE M/F/V/D.