AI's Job Impact: Top 10 Riskiest & Safest Roles Revealed
New research from Microsoft offers a revealing look into which occupations are most, and least, susceptible to the transformative influence of artificial intelligence. The report, titled “Working with AI: Measuring the Occupational Implications of Generative AI,” delves into how workers are adopting AI tools and the resultant impact on their daily responsibilities. Researchers developed an “AI applicability score” by meticulously analyzing data from 200,000 anonymous interactions with Microsoft Bing Copilot, a publicly available generative AI system, gathered between January and September 2024. This score was based on how people used AI in their jobs, the effectiveness of those applications, and the specific occupations of the users.
The study found that the most prevalent uses for AI in the workplace revolved around information gathering and written communication. Consequently, occupations characterized by extensive knowledge work, such as computer and mathematical roles, office and administrative support, and sales positions involving information delivery and communication, registered the highest AI applicability scores. This suggests that roles heavily reliant on processing, synthesizing, and communicating data are particularly ripe for AI integration.
Based on these findings, the research identified the ten occupations with the highest AI applicability scores, indicating a significant potential for AI to alter or even replace current job functions. These include Interpreters and Translators, Historians, Passenger Attendants, Sales Representatives of Services, Writers and Authors, Customer Service Representatives, CNC Tool Programmers, Telephone Operators, Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks, and Broadcast Announcers and Radio DJs. The common thread among these roles is their reliance on structured information processing, communication, and often, repetitive data handling, making them prime candidates for automation or augmentation by AI.
Conversely, the study also pinpointed the ten occupations least likely to be significantly disrupted by AI. These roles typically demand high levels of manual dexterity, direct human interaction, unpredictable physical environments, or specialized hands-on skills that are difficult for current AI systems to replicate. The jobs identified as most resilient to AI include Phlebotomists, Nursing Assistants, Hazardous Materials Removal Workers, Helpers—Painters and Plasterers, Embalmers, Plant and System Operators, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, Automotive Glass Installers and Repairers, Ship Engineers, and Tire Repairers and Changers. These professions underscore the enduring value of human physical presence, nuanced judgment, and the ability to navigate complex, often unstructured, real-world situations.
The Microsoft research provides a nuanced perspective on AI’s unfolding impact on the job market, highlighting that while many “knowledge worker” roles face significant transformation, jobs requiring hands-on physical engagement, intricate human empathy, or adaptability to dynamic physical environments remain largely insulated from automation. It suggests a future where AI acts as a powerful tool augmenting human capabilities in some areas, while other professions, rooted in the tangible and the deeply human, continue to thrive.