Microsoft AI chief predicts major white-collar job loss in 18 months
Microsoft AI chief predicts major white-collar job loss in 18 months
Publish Date: 2026-02-19 13:12:00
Source Domain: www.turkiyetoday.com
The logo of Microsoft, is pictured in Issy-Les-Moulineaux, Paris, France, March 6, 2018. (AFP Photo)
By Newsroom
February 19, 2026 09:12 PM GMT+03:00
Microsoft’s artificial intelligence chief Mustafa Suleyman warned that rapid advances in AI could soon transform professional work and automate many white-collar tasks, raising concerns about widespread job disruption across several industries.
Speaking to the Financial Times, Suleyman said most computer based professional tasks could be fully automated within the next 12 to 18 months, as artificial intelligence systems reach human level performance in many fields.
His remarks come as major technology companies expand investment in advanced AI systems while researchers and industry leaders debate the technology’s impact on employment and economic structures.
Impact on white-collar workforce
Suleyman said AI’s growing computing power and rapid development signal a “red alert” moment for professional workers.
He argued that jobs requiring computer based tasks face the highest risk of automation.
“White-collar work, where you’re sitting down at a computer, either being a lawyer or an accountant or a project manager or a marketing person, most of those tasks will be fully automated by AI within the next 12 to 18 months,” he said.
According to Suleyman, artificial intelligence systems will soon perform tasks at human level across many professions. These tools are also expected to improve continuously, take more autonomous actions and coordinate complex workflows within large institutions over the next two to three years.
He identified several sectors as particularly vulnerable to automation, including:
- Accounting
- Law
- Marketing
- Project management
The warning follows similar statements…
