Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman predicts most professional white-collar jobs, including lawyers, accountants, and project managers, will be fully automated by AI within 12-18 months. He states AI is reaching “human-level performance” on cognitive tasks and warns a major AI safety incident is likely within two to three years due to a lack of regulatory mechanisms. Microsoft is also building its own super-intelligence foundation model for release this year.
Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman says AI will automate most white-collar jobs in the next 12 to 18 months. He stated, “I think that we’re going to have a human-level performance on most, if not all, professional tasks.”
Roles like lawyers, accountants, project managers, and marketing professionals working on computers will be affected. Suleyman pointed to software engineering, where Microsoft engineers now use AI for most coding work.
The tech giant maintains a significant partnership with ChatGPT developer OpenAI, holding a $135 billion stake. However, Suleyman emphasized the need for Microsoft to build its own “frontier” foundation models for self-sufficiency.
He envisions “professional-grade AGI” capable of human-level cognitive tasks arriving within two years. Economists note jobs requiring higher education and cognitive skills are most exposed to this automation.
Policymakers, including Senator Bernie Sanders, are beginning to address the workforce implications. Suleyman also warned that a major AI safety incident is likely in the next two to three years with no regulatory frameworks in place.
He stressed advanced systems must remain subordinate to human control. “We should only bring a system like that into the world if we are sure we can control it,” Suleyman said.
