Mustafa Suleyman has warned that artificial intelligence could automate most white collar professions within the next 12 to 18 months. In an interview with the Financial Times, the Microsoft AI chief said rapid advances in large language models are bringing AI systems close to human level performance in many professional tasks.
Suleyman pointed out that AI assisted coding is already reshaping software development. He suggested similar transformation could soon affect lawyers, accountants, project managers, marketers, and even engineers. According to him, automation will not just assist professionals but may replace significant portions of their daily work.
Other leading voices in AI research share similar concerns. Stuart Russell has long warned about the societal risks of advanced AI systems, while Dario Amodei recently highlighted the possibility of major workforce disruption as AI tools grow more capable.
The political response has also begun to take shape. US Senator Bernie Sanders described such projections as an “economic earthquake,” calling for safeguards to ensure workers are protected. He argued that the benefits of AI driven productivity must not flow only to corporations and investors.
As companies invest billions into data centers and automation technologies, the debate is shifting from whether AI will change the workplace to how societies should manage that change. Experts say policy, education, and worker retraining will play a critical role in shaping the outcome.
