AI’s Impact: Jobs at Risk and Safe Professions

A Microsoft study identifies 40 professions likely to be automated by AI and 40 less vulnerable roles.
This analysis, based on ChatGPT/Copilot interactions, sheds light on the evolving job market.
It suggests AI will largely affect text- and communication-heavy roles, while hands-on professions remain safer.

Professions Facing Automation

Microsoft’s research, which analyzed over 200,000 interactions with AI systems like ChatGPT/Copilot, pinpoints professions highly susceptible to automation. These roles often involve text processing, oral communication, and summarizing extensive information, areas where AI currently excels. Translators, customer support specialists, authors, journalists, and data scientists are among the 40 professions identified as potentially being largely or entirely performed by artificial intelligence in the near future.

The list also includes roles such as telemarketers, statisticians, web developers, and management analysts, highlighting a broad impact across various sectors. Furthermore, professions like political scientists, historians, and advertising agents are also deemed vulnerable. This suggests that occupations relying heavily on information analysis and synthesis face significant transformation.

40 professions that may disappear due to AI

Translators and interpreters
Historians
Flight attendants and tourist guides
Sales representatives in the service sector
Authors and writers
Customer support workers
CNC machine programmers
Telephone operators
Ticket collectors, railway/airline workers
Radio presenters and announcers
Brokerage clerks
Home economics and farming courses
Telemarketers
Concierges
Political scientists/political analysts
News analysts, journalists, reporters
Mathematicians
Technical writers
Proofreaders and text layout designers
Support staff
Editors
Teachers of business disciplines at universities
PR specialists
Product demonstrators and promoters
Advertising agents
New account managers
Statistical assistants
Rental and hire managers
Data Scientists
Personal financial advisors
Archivists
University level economic teachers
Web developers
Management analysts
Geographers
Modellers
Market analysts
Employees of emergency services (operators)
Switchboard operators
Teachers of library science at the university level

Professions Less Vulnerable to AI

Conversely, the study identifies 40 professions considered least susceptible to AI automation. These roles typically demand physical dexterity, involve unpredictable situations, or necessitate complex interpersonal interactions that current AI systems cannot replicate. Examples include excavators, bridge builders, nurses, and roofers. Occupations such as massage therapists, surgeons’ assistants, and various medical support roles also fall into this category.

Additionally, jobs like divers, embalmers, and hazardous waste disposal workers require specific physical engagement in environments difficult for robots to navigate. This group emphasizes the enduring value of human capabilities in manual labor, healthcare, and situations requiring adaptive problem-solving.

Implications for the Workforce

The study underscores a clear trend: AI poses a greater challenge to office, creative, and administrative roles, but a lesser one to professions requiring physical work or direct healthcare. Microsoft emphasizes that AI’s primary purpose is to support human endeavors, not to completely replace them. However, the report cautions that individuals who do not adapt to modern AI tools risk being displaced. While AI’s influence on programming is significant, industry leaders believe a complete displacement of human programmers is not imminent, as complex tasks still benefit from human expertise.

40 professions considered to be the least vulnerable to AI

Excavators
Bridge and overpass builders
Employees of water purification systems of water supply
Manufacturers of casting moulds
Layers of railway tracks and equipment
Operators of pole setters
Grinders and surface finishers
Nurses and nursing assistants
Motor boat captains
Operators of logging equipment
Workers in paving, coating and tamping
Cleaners and housekeepers
Workers at oil/gas facilities
Roofers
Compressor station operators
Roofers’ assistants
Tyre fitters
Surgeon’s assistants
Massage therapists
Ophthalmologists and their assistants
Operators of industrial tractors and trucks
Chiefs of firefighters’ guards
Workers with cement and concrete
Dishwashers
Agronomists
Packers and operators of packaging machines
Medical assistants
Road workers
Production assistants
Periodontists and dental hygienists
Repairmen
Marine workers and engineers
Car glass installers
Oral and maxillofacial surgeons
Farmers and farm equipment operators
Divers
Embalmers
Painters and plasterers
Hazardous waste disposal workers
Vascular surgeons

The findings suggest that employees in high-risk areas should cultivate skills in interacting with AI. Mastering tools like Copilot, formulating effective prompts, and efficiently utilizing AI-generated data will be crucial. The labor market rules have undeniably shifted, making it essential to embrace AI rather than resist it. Leveraging AI’s power can accelerate work, reduce costs, facilitate more complex projects, and enhance the management of automated processes.

Broader Context: The Evolution of Human-AI Collaboration

It’s worth noting that the discussions around AI’s impact on employment often overlook the emergence of entirely new job categories that arise from technological advancements. Historically, new technologies have always reshaped the job market, creating roles that were previously unimaginable.

For instance, the rise of AI is already fostering demand for AI trainers, prompt engineers, and AI ethicists—roles centered on guiding, refining, and overseeing AI systems. This ongoing evolution suggests that while some jobs may disappear, others will emerge, transforming the nature of work rather than simply reducing it. The focus shifts from merely performing tasks to managing and collaborating with intelligent machines.