Microsoft study reveals which jobs are most (and least) affected by AI: Is yours on the list?

Indian Express

31-07-2025

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming nearly every part of our lives, from how we search for information online to potentially replacing software developers altogether.
In the last few years, numerous experts have said that AI will soon be replacing jobs, but we have had little clarity on which roles are actively affected. Now, Microsoft's research division has released a new paper that lists down different professions most impacted by AI. For this, Microsoft researchers said they analysed a dataset containing 200,000 anonymised and privacy scrubbed conversations between users and Microsoft Bing Copilot.
'Our study explores which job categories can productively use AI chatbots. It introduces an AI applicability score that measures the overlap between AI capabilities and job tasks, highlighting where AI might change how work is done, not take away or replace jobs. Our research shows that AI supports many tasks, particularly those involving research, writing, and communication, but does not indicate it can fully perform any single occupation', said Microsoft senior researcher Kiran Tomlinson.
Here's a list of professions, which according to Microsoft, are most likely to be affected by AI.
📌Interpreters and translators
📌Historians
📌Passenger attendants
📌Sales Representatives of 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, journalists
📌Mathematicians
📌Technical writers
📌Proofreaders and copy markers
📌Hosts and hostesses
📌Editors
📌Business teachers, postsecondary
📌Public relation specialists
📌Demonstrators and product promoters
📌Advertising sales agents
📌New accounts clerks
📌Statistical assistants
📌Counter and rental clerks
📌Data scientists
📌Personal financial advisors
📌Archivists
📌Economics teachers, postsecondary
📌Web developers
📌Management analysts
📌Geographers
📌Models
📌Market resarch analysts
📌Public safety telecommunicators
📌Switchboard operators
📌Library science teachers, postsecondary
Taking a look at the above list, the top jobs which will be most impacted by AI seem to be revolving around what AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini to the best. In case you are wondering, below is the list of jobs that are least likely to be impacted by AI.
📌Dredge operators
📌Bridge and lock tenders
📌Water treatment plant and system op.
📌Foundry mold and coremakers
📌Rail-track laying and maintainence equip op.
📌Pile driving operators
📌Floor sanders and finishers
📌Orderlies
📌Motorboat operators
📌Logging equipment operators
📌Paving, surfacing and tamping equipment op.
📌Maids and housekeeping cleaners
📌Roustabouts, oil and gas
📌Roofers
📌Gas compressor and gas pumping station op.
📌Helpers-roofers
📌Tire builders
📌Surgical assistants
📌Massage therapists
📌Opthalmic medical technicians
📌Industrial truck and tractor operators
📌Supervisor of firefighters
📌Cement masons and concrete finishers
📌Dishwashers
📌Machine feederes and offbearers
📌Packaging and filling machine op.
📌Medical equipment preparers
vHighway maintainence workers
📌Helpers-production workers
📌Prosthodontists
📌Tire repairers and changers
📌Ship engineers
📌Automotive glass installers and repairers
📌Oral and Maxillofacial surgeons
📌Plant and system operators, all other
📌Embalmers
📌Helpers-painters, plasterers
📌Hazardous material removal workers
📌Nursing assistants
📌Phlebotomists
One thing to note is that these finding don't necessarily mean that AI will replace all of these job roles, but that the technology might eventually take over, handle or assist with these tasks. Talking about the least impacted jobs, a breakthrough in AI might impact these roles sometime in the future.
The study also refrains from guesswork when it comes to predicting if jobs in these roles will increase or decrease in the future, but it is quite useful if you want to take a look at how the technology is currently affecting the way we work.