The majority of professional tasks performed by white-collar workers will be automated within two years, according to Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft AI. This shift will impact employees across various fields such as law, accounting, and marketing.
In an interview with the Financial Times, the executive noted that artificial intelligence is approaching “human-level performance” in most office tasks.
“White-collar work, where you sit at a computer, whether as a lawyer, accountant, project manager, or marketer, will largely be automated by AI within the next 12-18 months,” he stated.
Suleyman cited software development as an example, noting that Microsoft programmers are employing neural networks in most work processes.
“This is already a different relationship with technology, and it has developed literally over the past six months,” the expert added.
Suleyman emphasized that due to increased computing power, AI models already surpass most programmers. This technological shift justifies substantial investments in companies, including OpenAI.
Despite supporting the developer of ChatGPT, the CEO of Microsoft AI stressed the need to develop proprietary AI products to enhance resilience and independence.
“We must develop our own cutting-edge models, with gigawatt-scale computing and some of the world’s best LLM training teams. This is our mission of technological self-sufficiency,” he said.
Professional AGI
Suleyman anticipates the emergence of “professional AGI”—a form of general artificial intelligence capable of performing most cognitive tasks at a human level.
Economists confirm these concerns: everyone whose work is directly related to computers is at risk of automation.
“The highest risk is for professions requiring higher education, with higher pay and predominantly cognitive tasks,” noted Rand Corporation economist Tobias Sitsma.
Politicians are also seeking ways to adapt to the displacement of human labor. Senator Bernie Sanders has already planned a visit to California to discuss this issue with industry representatives.
“Job Singularity”
Suleyman’s view aligns with that of other tech leaders. In January, Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev stated that AI will not only displace some professions but also lead to the creation of new jobs, solo companies, and entire industries.
“We are on the curve of rapidly accelerating job creation. I call this phenomenon the job singularity—a Cambrian explosion not just of new professions, but of entire families of them in all conceivable fields,” he said.
Back in December 2025, Nobel laureate Geoffrey Hinton predicted a wave of unemployment due to AI.