Microsoft, MSFT, has said that these are the 40 jobs with the lowest risk to be taken over by AI

A new study from Microsoft researchers is shedding light on how generative AI may reshape the workforce.

Professions such as translators, historians, and writers scored among the highest for AI “applicability,” meaning the tasks they perform overlap heavily with what AI can already do. Customer service and sales roles—covering roughly 5 million U.S. jobs—are also flagged as highly susceptible.

Overall, occupations that rely on knowledge work, such as computing, mathematics, or office-based administrative tasks, are the most exposed, the report notes. Sales positions also rank high since they often involve processing and conveying information, something AI can increasingly handle.

Importantly, Microsoft emphasized that a high applicability score does not automatically mean jobs will vanish. Still, the rankings spread quickly online, with many professionals labeling these roles as “most at risk.” The findings follow real-world moves from companies like IBM, which has paused hiring for thousands of positions it expects AI to take over within the next five years. At the same time, new graduates in the U.K. are confronting the weakest job market since 2018, as employers lean on AI tools to cut costs, according to Indeed.

Not every occupation is on the chopping block. Roles such as dredge operators, lock tenders, and water treatment plant operators show little exposure to generative AI, largely because they require hands-on technical work.

Still, industry leaders warn that no job will remain completely untouched. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang argued at the Milken Institute Global Conference that AI adoption is unavoidable. “Every job will be affected, and immediately. It is unquestionable,” he said. “You’re not going to lose your job to an AI, but you’re going to lose your job to someone who uses AI.”

Degrees No Longer Guarantee Protection
Perhaps most strikingly, many of the jobs identified as highly vulnerable—including political scientists, journalists, and management analysts—require a college degree. The researchers noted that higher education, once considered a shield for job security, is no longer a safeguard in the AI era.

“In terms of education requirements, we find higher AI applicability for occupations requiring a Bachelor’s degree than for those with lower requirements,” the researchers wrote. Their analysis drew on 200,000 real-world interactions with Microsoft’s Copilot, comparing AI’s performance against detailed occupational data.