‘Office jobs will be heavily automated in next 18 months’: Microsoft AI Chief Mustafa Suleyman’s big warning – Technology News
Publish Date: 2026-05-19 01:41:00
Source Domain: www.financialexpress.com
Technology powered by artificial intelligence has rapidly become a major part of modern workplaces and businesses. From advanced robots to automated digital assistants, these tools are increasingly being used across different industries. Now, Microsoft AI Chief Mustafa Suleyman has claimed that many office-based jobs could be heavily automated over the next year to year and a half as these systems continue to improve. Suleyman said, “human-level performance on most, if not all, professional tasks” is being done by AI.
In a conversation with the Financial Times, Mustafa Suleyman said technology is advancing quickly and could soon handle many workplace tasks at a level similar to humans.
He noted that office-based professions that rely heavily on computers — including legal services, accounting, marketing, and project coordination — may face the biggest impact from these changes.
The remarks from Mustafa Suleyman add to the growing view shared by technology leaders like Dario Amodei, who have repeatedly suggested in recent years that many tasks currently handled by people could eventually be managed by advanced digital systems.
Advanced systems could take over work currently done by professionals:
Mustafa Suleyman said the fast pace of growth in computing technology is a strong indication that advanced systems could take over work currently done by many skilled professionals. He explained that as computing power improves, software systems may eventually become better than most human coders at programming-related tasks.
Others in the tech industry, including Sam Altman and investor Chamath Palihapitiya, have also expressed concern about how quickly technology is progressing, with some saying it could reduce the value of expertise that people have spent years developing.
Technology is moving beyond helping workers and toward fully automating tasks:
Until now, AI has mostly been promoted as tools that help people work faster and more…
