Jobs Most, and Least Affected by Generative AI, According to Microsoft Research Analysis

A study by Microsoft Research finds generative artificial intelligence might well have the greatest impact on jobs for interpreters, historians, writers, and customer service representatives. While you might expect impact on CSR operations, the other cognitive roles are going to look large as well.

Roles in sales and education also showed high overlap with generative AI capabilities, the study authors argue.

As always, we might find we are wrong about the way generative AI affects many of the roles, but the consensus right now seems to be that many cognitive roles could be affected, as generative AI is especially capable of performing tasks involving language, analysis, and communication areas that dominate many office, media, and teaching professions.

source: Microsoft Research

Of course, what list would be complete without some notion of jobs that are least likely to be displaced by language models. Most of those jobs involve physical operations rather than cognitive tasks, including:

Dredge Operators
Bridge and Lock Tenders
Water Treatment Plant Operators
Foundry Mold and Coremakers
Rail-Track Maintenance Equipment Operators
Pile Driver Operators
Floor Sanders and Finishers
Orderlies
Motor boat Operators
Logging Equipment Operators

source: Microsoft Research

Of course, all general-purpose technologies, which many of us believe AI is going to prove to be, lead to widespread economic and role changes, which necessarily reshape occupational demand.