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Whether you're in customer service, education, design or data, the odds are that AI has already been used to assist with part of your role. But just how significantly is AI impacting the modern workplace? A new study offers one of the clearest answers yet.
Researchers at Microsoft have identified the 40 professions most and least susceptible to disruption from generative AI. From actual user data from Microsoft Copilot, the team analyzed 200,000 anonymized conversations between users and the AI assistant over a nine-month period in 2024
These interactions were mapped to Intermediate Work Activities (IWAs) from the U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET database, a standard framework for understanding job tasks across different roles.
The researchers created an "AI applicability score" by combining these mapped tasks with indicators like completion rate (how successfully the task was completed), coverage (how many times people used AI to try and do the work task) and user feedback.
"Our study explores how AI may shape occupations by examining real-world usage," Kiran Tomlinson, senior researcher at Microsoft and the paper's lead author, told Newsweek.
"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 necessarily replace jobs."
The study, the team says, offers one of the clearest snapshots yet of how AI is being used in the workplace—and where it's most likely to make an impact.
It comes amid rising concern over automation and workforce transformation, a central theme at Newsweek's recent AI Impact Summit 2025, where leaders from tech, policy, and labor debated how to navigate the shifting employment landscape.
Which Jobs Are Most Susceptible to AI Automation?
At the top of the list of people most likely to have their job affected by the rise of generative AI are interpreters and translators, followed closely by historians, writers and authors and sales representatives.
Roles that involve frequent writing, information retrieval, editing or client communication are things that AI excelled at according to the study.
Other notable roles in the top 40 most likely to be impacted include:
- Customer Service Representatives
- Technical Writers, Editors and Public Relations Specialists
- Mathematicians and Data Scientists
Several media and communication jobs, including news analysts, journalists and public relations specialists were also listed as jobs with tasks AI can perform effectively.
Top Careers Least Affected by Generative AI Tools
By contrast, physically demanding or equipment-intensive jobs were found to be least affected by AI.
At the bottom of the list of professions least like to be affected by AI were dredge operators, bridge and lock tenders and water treatment plant and systems operators. All three received an AI applicability score of zero.
Other notable roles in the top 40 least likely to be impacted include:
- Rail track maintenance
- Roofers
- Massage therapists
Several health-related roles, such as phlebotomists, nursing assistants and medical equipment preparers, also scored low, reflecting the hands-on, interpersonal nature of their work.
Are jobs at risk from AI?
Should those in high-impact jobs be worried? Public concern is rising: a growing number of Americans believe AI will negatively affect the job market.
According to Microsoft's study, more than 8.4 million workers are currently employed in one of the 40 most impacted roles.
Meanwhile, a 2023 MIT policy memo projected that 1.6 to 3.2 million U.S. jobs could be lost to AI automation over the next two decades.
While there are no federal protections in place to shield workers from AI-driven displacement, some legislative efforts are underway.
Bills like the No Robot Bosses Act and the Stop Spying Bosses Act aim to regulate the use of AI in employment decisions, promote transparency and ensure workers' rights are not undermined by automated systems. While some states, like New York and Illinois, have enacted laws requiring audits and disclosures for AI hiring tools, offering partial protection for job seekers.
Still, federal incentives—such as those in the CHIPS Act and various AI research grants—are encouraging AI's rapid adoption across industries, from transportation to healthcare. Pilot programs in these sectors could lead to the automation of jobs held by drivers, technicians and administrative staff.
"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," Tomlinson said.
"As AI adoption accelerates, it's important that we continue to study and better understand its societal and economic impact."
Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about AI? Let us know via [email protected].
Reference
Tomlinson, K., Jaffe, S., Wang, W., Counts, S., & Suri, S. (2025). Working with AI: Measuring the Occupational Implications of Generative AI. arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2507.07935
