Microsoft study highlights jobs most at risk from AI

WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES — A recent research study by Microsoft Corporation has identified 40 occupations with tasks most susceptible to replacement by artificial intelligence (AI). 

According to “Working with AI: Measuring the Occupational Implications of Generative AI,” knowledge work and communication-heavy jobs are more vulnerable, while roles requiring direct human interaction or physical labor remain comparatively safe.

Jobs such as translators, historians, writers, data scientists, and customer service representatives rank high on Microsoft’s AI applicability score, a measure of how likely their work tasks are affected by AI. 

40 jobs most vulnerable to AI

The study analyzed Bing Copilot’s user interactions with work-related tasks over nine months in 2024. Positions with the highest AI applicability scores included interpreters, journalists, political scientists, web developers, mathematicians, sales representatives, and personal finance advisors. These roles heavily involve research, communication, and writing, or areas where AI demonstrates strong performance.

1. Interpreters and Translators

2. Historians

3. Passenger Attendants

4. Sales Representatives of Services

5. Writers and Authors

6. Customer Service Representatives

7. CNC Tool Programmers

8. Telephone Operators

9. Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks

10. Broadcast Announcers and Radio DJs

11. Brokerage Clerks

12. Farm and Home Management Educators

13. Telemarketers

14. Concierges

15. Political Scientists

16. News Analysts, Reporters, Journalists

17. Mathematicians

18. Technical Writers

19. Proofreaders and Copy Markers

20. Hosts and Hostesses

21. Editors

22. Business Teachers, Postsecondary

23. Public Relations Specialists

24. Demonstrators and Product Promoters

25. Advertising Sales Agents

26. New Accounts Clerks

27. Statistical Assistants

28. Counter and Rental Clerks

29. Data Scientists

30. Personal Financial Advisors

31. Archivists

32. Economics Teachers, Postsecondary

33. Web Developers

34. Management Analysts

35. Geographers

36. Models

37. Market Research Analysts

38. Public Safety Telecommunicators

39. Switchboard Operators

40. Library Science Teachers, Postsecondary

“It is tempting to conclude that occupations that have high overlap with activities AI performs will be automated and thus experience job or wage loss,” the researchers wrote. However, they cautioned this assumption, saying the downstream business impacts of AI are “very hard to predict and often counterintuitive.”

40 jobs least impacted by AI

On the other hand, roles that involve physical tasks, interpersonal human care, or operating machinery showed the lowest AI scores. Nursing assistants, ship engineers, oral surgeons, massage therapists, maids, and roofers appear least vulnerable to AI disruption.

1. Dredge Operators

2. Bridge and Lock Tenders

3. Water Treatment Plant and System Operators

4. Foundry Mold and Coremakers

5. Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators

6. Pile Driver Operators

7. Floor Sanders and Finishers

8. Orderlies

9. Motorboat Operators

10. Logging Equipment Operators

11. Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators

12. Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners

13. Roustabouts, Oil and Gas

14. Roofers

15. Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators

16. Helpers – Roofers

17. Tire Builders

18. Surgical Assistants

19. Massage Therapists

20. Ophthalmic Medical Technicians

21. Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators

22. Supervisors of Firefighters

23. Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers

24. Dishwashers

25. Machine Feeders and Offbearers

26. Packaging and Filling Machine Operators

27. Medical Equipment Preparers

28. Highway Maintenance Workers

29. Helpers – Production Workers

30. Prosthodontists

31. Tire Repairers and Changers

32. Ship Engineers

33. Automotive Glass Installers and Repairers

34. Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons

35. Plant and System Operators, All Other

36. Embalmers

37. Helpers – Painters, Plasterers, and Related Workers

38. Hazardous Materials Removal Workers

39. Nursing Assistants

40. Phlebotomists

The research emphasizes that AI is currently more likely to augment work rather than fully replace entire occupations. “Our data do not indicate that AI is performing all of the work activities of any one occupation,” Microsoft researchers noted.

Similarly, Adam Dorr, Director of Research at RethinkX, previously identified a trio of professions likely to remain beyond the reach of automation, including politicians, sex workers, and ethicists. These roles, he noted, demand deep emotional intelligence, ethical judgment, and human trust—qualities that machines may struggle to replicate. 

Still, Dorr cautioned that even these surviving sectors “are nowhere near enough to employ 4 billion people.”

The bottom line

While AI promises to transform how people work, uncertainty remains over its long-term workforce impact. 

For now, jobs that combine communication or knowledge work with human oversight may see AI tools assisting day-to-day tasks, rather than total automation. Both employers and employees will likely need to adapt as AI technologies continue to evolve.