By Kavita Mistry 
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly influencing daily life, from online information searches to reshaping certain professions. While predictions about AI replacing jobs have circulated for years, there has been little clarity on the specific roles most affected. A new study by Microsoft’s research division offers insight into this, based on the analysis of 200,000 anonymised, privacy-scrubbed conversations between users and Microsoft Bing Copilot. The research introduces an “AI applicability score” to measure the overlap between AI capabilities and job tasks, showing where AI might alter work processes rather than fully replace jobs. Microsoft senior researcher Kiran Tomlinson emphasised that AI excels in assisting with tasks involving research, writing, and communication but is not yet capable of fully performing any single occupation.
Microsoft Study Reveals Jobs Most and Least Vulnerable to AI Impact
According to the study, the professions most likely to be affected by AI include interpreters and translators, historians, writers and authors, journalists, editors, technical writers, data scientists, sales representatives, telemarketers, public relations specialists, advertising sales agents, market research analysts, mathematicians, management analysts, archivists, and web developers, among others. Many of these roles involve activities that AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini already handle well, such as language processing, content creation, and data interpretation.
Conversely, the jobs least likely to be impacted are largely physical, manual, or specialised in nature, including dredge operators, water treatment plant operators, foundry mold makers, track-laying equipment operators, logging equipment operators, roofers, surgical assistants, massage therapists, industrial truck operators, firefighters, cement masons, dishwashers, machine feeders, hazardous material removal workers, nursing assistants, and phlebotomists. These positions typically require hands-on skills, physical presence, or human interaction that AI cannot currently replicate.
AI’s Evolving Role Could Reshape Even Currently Safe Jobs in the Future
The study cautions that its findings do not predict whether job numbers will rise or fall but provide a clear view of how AI is already reshaping workflows. While least-affected jobs remain relatively safe for now, future AI breakthroughs could expand automation into more sectors, potentially altering even these roles over time.
Summary:
Microsoft’s study on 200,000 Bing Copilot chats identifies jobs most impacted by AI, including writers, translators, data scientists, and journalists, while physical roles like roofers and nurses face minimal risk. AI alters workflows but doesn’t fully replace jobs, though future advances could extend automation to currently unaffected professions.