Artificial intelligence is changing many professions – new Microsoft study shows which are most affected

Artificial intelligence (AI for short) is no longer just a trend. It is already changing how people work today. Many use AI programs such as ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot to write texts, find information or complete tasks more quickly. But AI can do much more – and that is exactly what worries some people.

A new study by Microsoft researchers now shows: There are professions in which AI could take over particularly many tasks. The study identified specific jobs that could be heavily affected and the most frequent work activities for which people make use of AI support.

This is how the study was conducted

For the study, the researchers analyzed real data from the use of Microsoft Copilot. More than 200,000 conversations were evaluated – of course anonymously, without users’ personal data.

They wanted to see:
In which professions are AI functions used particularly often? Where can AI help the most or even almost completely take over tasks?

From this they created a list. It shows how strongly individual professions could be influenced by AI. At the top are professions that involve a lot of work with language, text, information or data.

Microsoft writes:

We find the highest AI applicability scores for knowledge-based occupations such as computer and mathematics occupations as well as office and administrative employees and for occupations such as sales, whose work activities include providing and communicating information. In addition, we characterize the types of work activities that are performed most successfully, how wages and education correlate with the applicability of AI, and how real-world usage compares with predictions about the impact of AI on occupations.

This makes it easy to determine the 40 professions most affected by AI

The following professions are considered particularly susceptible to change due to AI:

1. Interpreters and translators

2. Historians

3. Flight attendants

4. Sales representatives for services

5. Writers and authors

6. Customer service representatives

7. CNC tool programmers  

8. Telephone operators  

9. Ticket agents and travel agents  

10. Radio and television announcers and radio DJs  

11. Brokers  

12. Instructors in agriculture and home economics  

13. Telemarketers  

14. Concierges  

15. Political scientists

16. News analysts

17. Reporters, journalists

18. Mathematicians

19. Technical writers  

20. Proofreaders and editors

21. Hosts and hostesses

22. Editors  

23. Economics teachers, postsecondary

24. PR specialists

25. Demonstrators and product promoters

26. Advertising sales agents  

27. New account representatives  

28. Statistical assistants  

29. Counter and rental clerks  

30. Data scientists  

31. Personal financial advisors  

32. Archivists

33. Graphic designers

34. Web developers

35. Management analysts  

36. Geographers

37. Models  

38. Market research analysts

39. Telecommunications specialists for public safety  

40. Library science teachers, postsecondary

Why these professions in particular?

These professions often have one thing in common:
They involve a lot of work with language, texts, data or information processing. AI is already very strong in exactly these areas.

An example:

• Translators: AI can translate texts into many languages in seconds.

• Customer service: Chatbots can answer simple inquiries around the clock.

• Journalists: AI can quickly summarize reports or research facts.

This does not mean that people will become superfluous. But their work is changing. Instead of doing simple routine tasks, they can focus on more difficult or creative tasks.

Opportunities and risks

Many see AI primarily as an opportunity. It can save time, reduce errors and provide ideas.
Example: An editor can use AI to create a first draft of a text and then focus on fine-tuning it. A market researcher can have large amounts of data evaluated automatically in order to identify trends more quickly.

Others see more risks:

• Fewer jobs in certain areas

• The danger that people become too dependent on AI

• Quality suffers if AI errors go unnoticed

The truth is probably somewhere in between. How strong the actual impact will be depends on how companies and employees use AI.

What can those affected do?

Experts recommend:

• Further training is crucial. Those who learn to work with AI tools remain competitive.

• Creativity and social skills are hard to automate.

• New fields of work are emerging in dealing with AI: AI must be checked, improved and monitored.

Microsoft also emphasizes: The study is not intended to cause fear. It is meant to show where AI can already bring about major change today – and where employees should prepare for it.

Not all professions are equally affected

There are also professions that are hardly affected by AI at all – such as skilled trades, caregivers or construction workers. Wherever physical work, direct contact and practical experience are important, AI can still hardly keep up today.

This insight is not new: even with earlier technological developments, such as the introduction of computers or machines, it was primarily office and information professions that were changed first.

The Microsoft study makes it clear:
Artificial intelligence will change many professions – and faster than many think.
Professions that involve a lot of language and information work will be particularly affected. This is a challenge, but also a major opportunity.

Those who engage with the new possibilities early on can use AI as a tool – instead of being replaced by it.

In the end, one thing applies: the technology is here. Now it depends on how we humans deal with it.

Here are the top 40 professions that are rather unaffected

1. Phlebotomists
2. Nursing assistants   
3. Hazardous materials removal workers  
4. Helpers – painters, plasterers, ...
5. Embalmers  
6. Plant and system operators, all other  
7. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons
8. Automotive glass installers and repairers  
9. Ship engineers  
10. Tire repairers and changers  
11. Prosthetists  
12. Helpers – production workers  
13. Highway maintenance workers  
14. Medical equipment preparers  
15. Packaging and filling machine operators  
16. Machine feeders and offbearers  
17. Dishwashers  
18. Cement masons and concrete finishers
19. First-line supervisors of firefighting workers  
20. Industrial truck and tractor operators  
21. Opticians  
22. Massage therapists  
23. Surgical assistants
24. Tire builders  
25. Helpers – roofers  
26. Gas compressor and gas pumping station operators  
27. Roofers
28. Helpers, oil and gas
29. Maids and housekeeping cleaners
30. Paving, surfacing and tamping equipment operators
31. Logging equipment operators  
32. Motorboat operators  
33. Caregivers
34. Floor sanders and finishers  
35. Pile-driver operators
36. Rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operators
37. Molding and coremaking workers, foundry
38. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators  
39. Bridge and lock tenders
40. Excavator operators