AI's Job Impact: Top 10 At-Risk & Safe Occupations Revealed
A new report from Microsoft offers a revealing look into how artificial intelligence is beginning to reshape the professional landscape, identifying which jobs are most, and least, susceptible to disruption by generative AI. Titled “Working with AI: Measuring the Occupational Implications of Generative AI,” the study delves into the practical adoption of AI across various fields, analyzing user behaviors and the effectiveness of AI integration in daily tasks.
To arrive at its conclusions, Microsoft collected data from 200,000 anonymous conversations between users and Microsoft Bing Copilot, a publicly available generative AI system, spanning from January to September 2024. Researchers meticulously scrutinized how individuals employed AI in their work, evaluated the success of these AI-assisted efforts, and categorized the occupations of the users. This comprehensive analysis culminated in the development of an “AI applicability score” for each occupation, quantifying its potential for AI integration.
The research unveiled that the most prevalent applications of AI in the workplace revolved around information gathering and writing. Consequently, occupations heavily reliant on these cognitive functions exhibited the highest AI applicability scores. This trend was particularly pronounced in “knowledge work” sectors, such as computer and mathematical fields, and office and administrative support roles. Sales occupations, which frequently involve the provision and communication of information, also registered high scores, underscoring AI’s growing utility in data-intensive and communicative tasks.
Based on these findings, the study identified a range of professions with the highest potential for AI integration. This list notably included interpreters and translators, historians, and writers and authors, professions where information synthesis and linguistic precision are paramount. Customer service representatives and sales representatives of services also appeared, reflecting AI’s capacity to streamline interactions and information delivery. More specialized roles like CNC tool programmers, alongside traditional service positions such as passenger attendants, telephone operators, ticket agents, and broadcast announcers and radio DJs, also demonstrated high applicability scores, suggesting AI’s broader reach across diverse sectors.
Conversely, the study also pinpointed occupations less likely to be significantly impacted by AI, often characterized by their reliance on physical dexterity, complex human interaction, or unpredictable real-world environments. Healthcare support roles, including phlebotomists and nursing assistants, were deemed to have low AI applicability, emphasizing the irreplaceable human element in patient care. Similarly, hazardous materials removal workers, and helpers for painters and plasterers, appeared on this list, highlighting the practical, hands-on nature of their work. Even highly specialized medical practitioners like oral and maxillofacial surgeons, and skilled tradespeople such as automotive glass installers and repairers, ship engineers, and tire repairers and changers, fell into this category, underscoring that certain roles requiring intricate manual skills, on-site problem-solving, or empathetic human judgment remain largely insulated from current AI capabilities.
The Microsoft report offers valuable insights for both businesses and individuals navigating the evolving landscape of work. While AI is poised to significantly augment or even transform roles centered on information processing and communication, it appears less likely to displace professions demanding nuanced physical interaction, specialized manual skills, or profound human empathy, at least for the foreseeable future.