Through the looking glass: Artificial intelligence tools are seeping into daily work, but some jobs are feeling the impact far more than others. A Microsoft study analyzing hundreds of thousands of anonymized Bing Copilot conversations offers a clearer, more grounded view of where AI is already reshaping tasks – and where its influence stops short.
The study stands out for its approach. Instead of speculating about AI's future impact, it examined actual recorded interactions between everyday users and a leading generative AI tool over nine months in 2024. Researchers mapped these conversations to detailed occupational tasks from O*NET, the US government's database of job activities.
They measured not only what users attempted, but how well the system performed – and which parts of jobs could plausibly be affected. The result is a list not of abstract predictions, but of specific professions whose core tasks already align with AI's abilities – and those where current systems fall short.
Jobs high on the AI-applicability scale mostly involve handling and communicating information. Interpreters and translators rank highest, followed by roles like writers, editors, reporters, and technical writers. Ticket agents, customer service reps, and concierges also fit the pattern – careers built around answering questions, drafting content, and relaying details. Generative AI is already proving effective at assisting, and sometimes completing, much of that work.
Here is the list of professions most likely to be affected by AI.
Interpreters and Translators
Historians
Passenger Attendants
Sales Representatives of Services
Writers and Authors
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