Is your job at risk of being replaced by AI?

SINGAPORE: To call artificial intelligence (AI) a disruptor is an understatement, and its effect on work today should not be underestimated. AI affects both those who are just about to enter the job market to start their careers and older workers who may wonder if advances in this technology will render their jobs obsolete.

Younger workers in their mid-twenties, however, are likely to be the hardest hit demographic, according to a recent study by economists from Stanford University. From 2022 to July 2025 in the United States, job growth for people in this group decreased by 6% in the fields most exposed to AI. In contrast, it went up by 6% to 9% for older workers.

Two fields where jobs are particularly at risk are customer service and software development.

Importantly, the authors of the study observed that employment grew among jobs where AI is augmentative, which means where the technology is used to assist employees instead of replacing them altogether.

In July, Microsoft released a report that identified the least AI-safe jobs, which are as follows: interpreters and translators, historians, passenger attendants, sales representatives of services, writers and authors, customer service representatives, computer numerical controller (CNC) tool programmers, telephone operators, ticket agents and travel clerks, broadcast announcers and radio DJs.

Notably, several of the jobs above are in customer service, in keeping with what the Stanford University report revealed.

“Interpreters and Translators are at the top of the list, with 98% of their work activities overlapping with frequent Copilot tasks with fairly high completion rates and scope scores. Other occupations with high applicability scores include those related to writing/editing, sales, customer service, programming, and clerking,” the report reads.

On the other side of the equation, here are the jobs that the Microsoft study said are the safest from being replaced by AI: phlebotomists (healthcare professionals who collect blood samples), nursing assistants, hazardous materials removal workers, helpers—painters, plasterers, etc., embalmers, plant and system operators, oral and maxillofacial surgeons, automotive glass installers and repairers, ship engineers, and tyre repairers and changers.

Microsoft’s report pointed out that these jobs need physical presence and manual dexterity that AI is unable to replicate, require empathy or human interaction, especially for patient care or service, problem-solving in unpredictable environments in real-world scenarios, specific training in situations with potential safety or liability issues, and the operation of complex equipment that requires real-time decision-making. /TISG

Read also: Top in-demand skills for AI jobs in Singapore: Machine learning and Python programming