Microsoft AI chief Mustafa Suleyman says most white-collar jobs will be automated in 12-18 months: Is your role at risk?
Microsoft AI Chief Executive Mustafa Suleyman has warned that Artificial Intelligence could replace a large portion of white-collar jobs in the next 12-18 months.
This rapid pace of technological advancement will not only affect coders and software engineers. It is also expected to significantly impact professionals such as lawyers and accountants, who may see their jobs automated by AI.
In a video interview with the Financial Times, Suleiman explained that Microsoft is striving to capture a larger share of the enterprise market with “professional-grade AGI (Artificial General Intelligence).”
Talking about the plan, he described the system as an artificial intelligence model that can do almost anything a human professional can do. This type of technology will allow Microsoft to offer powerful AI tools to its customers, helping them perform routine tasks usually done by office workers.
What did Suleiman say about the job market?
Süleyman predicted that in the near future, the workforce around the world will witness major changes, and every individual who does his job on the computer may face the risk of losing his job.
The Microsoft AI chief further explained: “White-collar jobs, especially those sitting in front of a computer, whether it’s a lawyer, accountant, project manager or marketer, many of these tasks will be fully automated by AI in the next 12 to 18 months.”
The chief executive’s remarks come at a time when companies around the world are increasingly adopting artificial intelligence as a cost-cutting measure, leading to the elimination of certain positions.
US-based cloud services platform Salesforce allegedly laid off up to 1,000 employees earlier this month due to pressure from the company’s CEO to switch to artificial intelligence for some of its roles. Many such reports have emerged in the last few weeks, involving major tech companies such as Amazon, FedEx, and Ericsson.
What awaits artificial intelligence?
As AI models continue to evolve, Süleyman believes it will become much easier to create new AI models tailored to specific needs. He compared this to how people today can easily start a blog or start a podcast without needing technical skills.
“Creating a new model will be as simple as preparing a podcast or writing a blog. In the future, it will be possible to design artificial intelligence according to the needs of every institution and individual in the world,” he said.
Suleiman also added that in the next two to three years, AI agents will become more efficient and skilled enough to manage the workflow of large institutions and businesses.
The Microsoft executive also hinted that the company plans to gradually increase the production of its own artificial intelligence models in order to reduce its dependence on OpenAI, after the two companies reached a new agreement.
He added: “We decided that this was a moment when we needed to start achieving true self-sufficiency of AI.” Süleyman said that Microsoft’s new artificial intelligence models could be released in 2026.
