The jobs most at risk from AI boom revealed

Analysis of real AI usage has shown where the biggest overlaps lie

The job roles most at risk of being replaced by AI have been revealed in a new study by Microsoft.

Assessing more than 200,000 interactions with its Copilot generative AI chatbot, the tech giant has produced a comprehensive list of the occupations in which AI is most and least applicable.

Office jobs such as sales and communication roles are among those most at risk from AI, as the ever-developing software takes on more of the tasks usually carried out by workers in these fields.

To reach its findings, Microsoft analysed how often Copilot users were performing activities similar to those found in certain job roles, and how effective the tool was at the task.

The analysis established which tasks were being carried out the most often, and with the highest level of success, and this enabled it to determine the occupations with the highest AI “overlap”.

The workers whose roles were found to have the greatest overlap with AI were interpreters and translators, with 98 per cent of their work activities overlapping with tasks carried out by Copilot, often with a high degree of success.

Other workers who scored highly included historians (91 per cent), mathematicians (91 per cent), writers (85 per cent) and journalists (81 per cent).

The report authors explain that “the most common work activities people seek AI assistance for involve gathering information and writing, while the most common activities that AI itself is performing are providing information and assistance, writing, teaching, and advising”.

Meanwhile, the least-affected occupations included those “that require physically working with people, operating or monitoring machinery, and other manual labour”.

These roles included nurse, plasterer, tyre repairer and massage therapist, all with less than 11 per cent overlap.

While the results may cause concern, one of the authors of the report has downplayed fears of occupations being entirely replaced (Getty)

However, the report notes that researchers were only looking at how large-language-model (LLM) AI systems like Copilot are used, adding that “other applications of AI could certainly affect occupations involving operating and monitoring machinery, such as truck driving”.

While the results may cause some concern for those currently working in job roles with more AI overlap, one of the senior authors of the report has downplayed fears of occupations being entirely replaced.

Microsoft researcher Kiran Tomlinson said: “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.”

The work “explores which job categories can productively use AI chatbots, not take away or replace jobs”, he told Sky News.

Generative AI “may prove to be a useful tool for many occupations”, Mr Tomlinson said, adding that “the right balance lies in finding how to use the technology in a way that leverages its abilities while complementing human strengths and accounting for people’s preferences”.