Microsoft study shows jobs most — and least — impacted by generative AI

Geek Wire

a day ago

Roofers and other jobs requiring physical labor are least vulnerable to AI impact, according to a study from Microsoft. (Photo by Zohair Mirza on Unsplash)
AI may be coming for your job — but not if you're operating machinery, building tires, or replacing roofs.
A new study from Microsoft reveals which jobs are most — and least — susceptible to generative AI, based on an analysis of 200,000 anonymized conversations with Bing Copilot users in 2024.
The study mapped conversations to work activities using the U.S. government's job classification system and calculated an 'AI applicability score' for each occupation.
Knowledge work and communication-focused occupations dominate the high-vulnerability categories. Jobs involving manual labor, physical presence, or machinery operation ranked lowest.
The research is unique because it analyzed actual AI usage from Copilot conversations in 2024 rather than relying on theoretical assessments.
The researchers noted that their data only shows AI capability overlap with work activities, not actual job displacement. Historical examples show automation can sometimes increase rather than decrease employment in affected sectors.
'We measured how AI capabilities overlap with work activities, but it remains to be seen how different occupations refactor their work responsibilities in response to AI's rapid progress,' they wrote in the study. 'It could be that jobs change which activities they encompass, as in the case of bank tellers and ATMs. In addition, entirely new occupations may emerge due to the rise of AI, performing new types of work activities.'
Here were the top 25 occupations most and least impacted by AI, based on the AI applicability score in the study.
Most impacted:
Interpreters and Translators
Historians
Passenger Attendants
Sales Representatives (Services)
Writers and Authors
Customer Service Representatives
CNC Tool Programmers
Telephone Operators
Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks
Broadcast Announcers and Radio DJs
Brokerage Clerks
Farm and Home Management Educators
Telemarketers
Concierges
Political Scientists
News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists
Mathematicians
Technical Writers
Proofreaders and Copy Markers
Hosts and Hostesses
Editors
Business Teachers, Postsecondary
Public Relations Specialists
Demonstrators and Product Promoters
Advertising Sales Agents
Least impacted: