Concerns over AI-related job losses have been rising over the last year amidst surging enterprise adoption rates, and a recent Microsoft study paints a bleak picture for workers across an array of industries.
Research published by the firm outlined a range of roles that are at highest risk of being upended by the technology, with customer service and knowledge workers among the worst affected.
According to Microsoft, the research was based on 200,000 anonymous conversations with the Bing Copilot chatbot between January and September 2024.
Based on Microsoft’s findings, the 10 jobs most likely to be impacted by AI include:
- Interpreters and translators
- Historians
- Passenger attendants
- Sales representatives
- Writers and authors
- Customer service representatives
- Computer numerical controller (CNC) tool programmers
- Telephone operators
- Ticket agents and travel clerks
- Broadcast announcers and radio DJs
The reason these jobs are the least ‘safe’ as a result of AI varies, but typically revolves around their reliance on information processing and communication, which can be conducted by AI rather than a human worker – at least according to the study.
Similarly, tasks which involve content creation, answering queries, and data analysis can all, by Microsoft’s reckoning, be carried out by AI.
“We find 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,” the company said.
What jobs are safe from AI?
Microsoft’s research did highlight a range of roles that are safe from AI. These included:
- Phlebotomists
- Nursing assistants
- Hazardous materials removal workers
- Helpers –painters, plasterers, etc.
- Embalmers
- Plant and system operators
- Oral and maxillofacial surgeons
- Automotive glass installers and repairers
- Ship engineers
- Tire repairers and changers
These jobs are safe largely due to the fact they require a physical presence in the workplace and a degree of human interaction that AI simply cannot replicate.
Similarly, the real-world problem solving and manual labor aspects of these jobs, combined with the need to operate equipment, mean the technology won’t have an adverse effect any time soon.
Is AI actually coming for your job?
If you’re among the list of those expected to be hit hardest by AI, the Microsoft study might paint a bleak picture. However, experts told ITPro that the prospect of mass job cuts in these domains coming any time soon are slim.
Anshuman Singh’s, CEO at HGS UK, told ITPro the current trends with AI should be viewed through a historical lens. Previous workforce upheavals, while disruptive, resulted in the emergence of new roles.
“Although understandable, job-related fears surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) can be misplaced,” he said. “The trends we are seeing with AI is nothing new – historically, technological advances have always transformed employment through predictable disruption patterns.”
“In the 1920s-1940s, AT&T's automation eliminated 50-80% of telephone operator jobs, yet younger workers adapted by transitioning to emerging clerical positions,” Singh added.
“The 1980s office automation revolution eliminated secretarial roles but ultimately required rehiring workers at higher wages to manage computer systems.”
This might come as a small consolation for those impacted by a looming onslaught of job losses. However, using customer service roles as an example, Singh noted that AI won't completely remove the need for human involvement.
“AI enables real-time agent assistance and automated post-contact summaries, while generative AI handles routine self-service inquiries,” he said.
“However, this is augmented by human representatives, who manage nuanced and high-stakes interactions where context and judgment are critical,” Singh added.
“This enables human agents to invest more time and energy into the aspects of customer service that AI cannot replicate, such as providing empathetic and emotionally enriched interactions.”
Simply put, businesses can’t afford to lose the “human touch” with regard to certain roles – and it’s a reality that we’ve already observed in recent months with Klarna.
The buy now, pay later giant waxed lyrical about cutting jobs and using AI to handle customer service queries. Within the space of a year, however, the company had backtracked.
In May, Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski told Bloomberg the company plans to slow down job cuts and begin rehiring human customer service representatives.
Preparing for the age of AI
Caroline Carruthers, CEO of UK-based data consultancy Carruthers and Jackson, echoes Singh’s comments that AI will ultimately create new roles in the long run.
“AI will completely transform the jobs market, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will be harder to get a job,” she said.
“Instead, the paths to industry will change and this is creating friction. AI will create a whole range of new jobs we previously hadn’t thought about, meaning that the people who will find it hardest to get a job in this new era will be those who are not willing to embrace AI as a tool.”
Steve Kelly, VP at Orgvue, said preparation for the future is key at both an individual and enterprise level.
“For roles most exposed to AI, the focus shouldn’t be on fear but on readiness,” Kelly told ITPro. “Smart leaders are anticipating how work will change, redesigning jobs, reskilling teams, and using AI to amplify human performance rather than replace it.”
Kelly warned that enterprises diving headlong into AI-inspired job cuts will find they hamstring themselves long-term. Analysis from Orgvue found that 39% of UK business leaders cut staff as a result of AI adoption last year, but more than half (55%) later came to regret the move and are facing acute skills challenges.
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