Research Comparison

AI Applicability vs Career Exposure

Microsoft Research measured what people actually use AI for across 785 occupations. AI Career Index measured what that means for your career. This page shows where the two agree, where they diverge, and what the gaps tell you.

The Numbers

Two Scores, One Question

33 occupations matched between the Microsoft AI applicability dataset and the AI Career Index. Together, they represent over 7.9 million US workers.

33
Matched occupations
From 785 SOC codes in the Microsoft dataset
14
ACI High risk
Structural exposure to AI displacement
10
ACI Medium risk
Bimodal: depends on seniority and scope
9
ACI Low risk
Insulated by judgment, accountability, or licensure
Two Lenses

What Each Score Measures

Both systems use O*NET and SOC occupation codes as their backbone, but they answer different questions.

Microsoft AI Applicability Score

How much is AI being used?

Based on 200,000 real Copilot conversations mapped to O*NET work activities. Measures current AI adoption: what tasks people are delegating to or augmenting with AI right now. Score ranges from 0.00 (no observed usage) to 0.49 (highest observed).

Limitation: Based on consumer Bing Copilot only, not workplace-specific AI tools (coding assistants, legal AI, medical AI). US-only, mostly English.
AI Career Index Exposure Band

How much career risk does it carry?

Structural analysis across five dimensions: task routineness, decision authority, income compression, AI tool maturity, and workforce trajectory. A role can have low current AI usage but high structural risk if the work is automatable but adoption has not caught up yet.

Coverage: 1592 roles across 30+ industries with personalised scoring, salary intelligence, and 24-month forecasting.
Key Finding

The Gap Between Usage and Risk Is Where Preparation Matters

High applicability and high exposure often align (Translators, Copywriters, Customer Service). But the most interesting cases are where the two scores diverge.

High Usage, High Risk

Translators (0.49), Copywriters (0.45), Customer Service (0.44). Both models agree. AI is already here, and the career risk is real. These roles need to move toward judgment-driven work now.

Low Usage, High Risk

Technical Writers (0.00), Web Developers (0.00), Market Research Analysts (0.00). Zero in the Microsoft data but ACI High. The structural conditions for displacement exist; mass adoption has not happened yet. This is the preparation window.

High Usage, Low Risk

Farm and Home Management Educators (0.31), Concierges (0.15). These roles use AI tools but their in-person, advisory, and relationship-driven nature insulates them from displacement.

Low Usage, Low Risk

Financial Advisors (0.00), Management Consultants (0.00), Postsecondary Teachers (0.00). Low on both measures. Strategic judgment, regulatory accountability, and institutional structures create durable moats.

Role Comparison

33 Roles, Two Scores

Each card shows the Microsoft AI applicability score alongside the AI Career Index exposure band for matched occupations.

Translators
Interpreters and Translators · 51,560 employed
High
AI Applicability
0.49
Career Exposure
High

Highest AI applicability and High ACI risk. Both models agree: translation is at the frontier of AI displacement.

Flight Attendants
Passenger Attendants · 20,190 employed
Medium
AI Applicability
0.47
Career Exposure
Medium

High applicability from information tasks (bookings, scheduling), but physical presence and safety judgment keep ACI at Medium.

Account Executives
Sales Representatives of Services · 1,142,020 employed
Medium
AI Applicability
0.46
Career Exposure
Medium

AI handles lead scoring and outreach drafting. Relationship-driven deal-closing keeps exposure at Medium.

Copywriters
Writers and Authors · 49,450 employed
High
AI Applicability
0.45
Career Exposure
High

Strong agreement. AI generates drafts at scale; templated writing roles face the most pressure.

Customer Service Representatives
Customer Service Representatives · 2,858,710 employed
High
AI Applicability
0.44
Career Exposure
High

2.9 million employed. Both models agree: triage and standard resolution are being automated at scale.

CNC Operators
CNC Tool Programmers · 28,030 employed
Medium
AI Applicability
0.44
Career Exposure
Medium

High AI applicability from programming tasks, but physical machine operation and setup keep ACI at Medium.

Travel Agents
Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks · 119,270 employed
High
AI Applicability
0.39
Career Exposure
High

Booking and itinerary work is highly automatable. ACI rates High because the structural path to replacement is clear.

Brokerage Clerks
Brokerage Clerks · 48,060 employed
High
AI Applicability
0.35
Career Exposure
High

Rule-based processing of trades and records. Both models see high vulnerability.

Farm and Home Management Educators
Farm and Home Management Educators · 8,110 employed
Low
AI Applicability
0.31
Career Exposure
Low

Moderate AI applicability but Low ACI risk. The role's advisory, in-person nature insulates it.

Telemarketers
Telemarketers · 81,580 employed
High
AI Applicability
0.24
Career Exposure
High

Lower current AI usage than expected, but ACI rates High. Structural conditions for AI replacement are strong; adoption is catching up.

Concierges
Concierges · 41,020 employed
Low
AI Applicability
0.15
Career Exposure
Low

Low on both. Human presence, local knowledge, and relationship skills create a natural moat.

Political Science Teachers
Political Scientists · 5,580 employed
Low
AI Applicability
0.04
Career Exposure
Low

Near-zero AI applicability. Academic tenure and original research insulate the role.

Journalists
Journalists and News Analysts · 45,020 employed
Medium
AI Applicability
0.00
Career Exposure
Medium

Zero current applicability but ACI Medium. AI is used in newsrooms, but source cultivation and investigation are harder to automate.

Mathematicians
Mathematicians · 2,220 employed
High
AI Applicability
0.00
Career Exposure
High

Major divergence. Zero current AI usage but ACI High. AI is increasingly capable at formal reasoning and proof work.

Technical Writers
Technical Writers · 47,970 employed
High
AI Applicability
0.00
Career Exposure
High

Zero current applicability but ACI High risk. AI documentation tools are maturing fast. The gap between usage and risk is the preparation window.

Proofreaders and Copy Markers
Proofreaders and Copy Markers · 5,490 employed
High
AI Applicability
0.00
Career Exposure
High

Grammar and style checking was one of AI's earliest applications. Structural risk is already materializing.

Editors
Editors · 95,700 employed
Medium
AI Applicability
0.00
Career Exposure
Medium

Zero applicability score but ACI Medium. Editorial judgment and narrative shaping provide some insulation.

Education Postsecondary Teachers
Business Teachers (Postsecondary) · 82,980 employed
Low
AI Applicability
0.00
Career Exposure
Low

Academic tenure and curriculum ownership insulate postsecondary educators. Both models see low risk.

Public Relations Managers
Public Relations Specialists · 275,550 employed
High
AI Applicability
0.00
Career Exposure
High

Zero current AI usage, but ACI rates High. Press release drafting and media monitoring are highly automatable.

Advertising Sales Agents
Advertising Sales Agents · 108,100 employed
High
AI Applicability
0.00
Career Exposure
High

Programmatic ad buying is already AI-driven. The sales agent role is being compressed by self-serve platforms.

New Accounts Clerks
New Accounts Clerks · 41,180 employed
High
AI Applicability
0.00
Career Exposure
High

Routine account setup and verification. Classic target for process automation.

Counter and Rental Clerks
Counter and Rental Clerks · 390,300 employed
Medium
AI Applicability
0.00
Career Exposure
Medium

Large workforce (390k). Physical presence provides some protection, but self-service kiosks are growing.

Data Scientists
Data Scientists · 192,710 employed
Medium
AI Applicability
0.00
Career Exposure
Medium

Zero applicability but ACI Medium. AI automates routine analysis; the strategic and experimental parts hold.

Financial Advisors
Personal Financial Advisors · 272,190 employed
Low
AI Applicability
0.00
Career Exposure
Low

Both models agree: the advisory relationship and regulatory accountability insulate this role.

Archivists
Archivists · 7,150 employed
Low
AI Applicability
0.00
Career Exposure
Low

Niche role with physical preservation requirements. Low risk on both measures.

Economics Teachers (Postsecondary)
Economics Teachers (Postsecondary) · 12,210 employed
Low
AI Applicability
0.00
Career Exposure
Low

Academic tenure provides structural insulation.

Frontend Developers
Web Developers · 85,350 employed
High
AI Applicability
0.00
Career Exposure
High

Major divergence. Zero in the Microsoft data, but ACI High. AI code generation is advancing rapidly; templated web development is increasingly automatable.

Management Consultants
Management Analysts · 838,140 employed
Low
AI Applicability
0.00
Career Exposure
Low

838k employed. Zero applicability, ACI Low. Strategic judgment, client relationships, and organizational change management create strong insulation.

Geographers
Geographers · 1,460 employed
Medium
AI Applicability
0.00
Career Exposure
Medium

Spatial analysis has AI applications but research and fieldwork components provide protection.

Models
Models · 3,090 employed
Medium
AI Applicability
0.00
Career Exposure
Medium

AI-generated imagery is a growing threat, but physical presence for fashion and live work persists.

Market Research Analysts
Market Research Analysts · 846,370 employed
High
AI Applicability
0.00
Career Exposure
High

846k employed and ACI High, despite zero current applicability. Survey design, data collection, and report generation are all AI-targetable.

Dispatchers
Public Safety Telecommunicators · 97,820 employed
Medium
AI Applicability
0.00
Career Exposure
Medium

Critical public safety function. AI assists with routing but human judgment in emergencies keeps it at Medium.

Library Science Teachers (Postsecondary)
Library Science Teachers (Postsecondary) · 4,220 employed
Low
AI Applicability
0.00
Career Exposure
Low

Academic tenure and specialised domain knowledge provide structural insulation.

Your Next Move

Know Where You Stand Before the Adoption Curve Catches Up

The Microsoft data tells you how much AI is being used in roles like yours today. The AI Career Index tells you what that means for your career over the next 24 months. Together, they give you both the current reality and the structural forecast.

The AI Career Index measures your personal career exposure across five dimensions and gives you a score, a forecast, and a concrete action plan. 1592 roles are indexed with full exposure analysis, salary intelligence, and positioning strategy.

The people who come through this well are not the ones who panic or ignore it. They are the ones who measure where they stand and make deliberate moves based on the result.

Free

AI Career Snapshot

Get your baseline AI exposure score, career positioning, and the key factors driving your risk. Takes about 10 minutes.

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Full Positioning Report

24-month forecast (Drift vs Strategic Path), deeper exposure analysis, salary intelligence, and a personalised 6-month Acceleration Plan.

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Frequently Asked

AI Applicability: Common Questions

Testimonials

What Professionals Are Saying

All testimonials →

"The forecast of where my career is heading was the most useful part. It is not about where you are today, it is about where you end up if you do nothing. Seeing the next two years laid out as a simple chart made me act right away. I stopped coasting that week."

Hiroshi Tanaka
Strategy Director · Osaka, Japan

"Design is not one job. The hands-on production work is under real pressure from AI, while the strategic work is becoming more valuable. The report mapped my week against that split and showed that sixty percent of my time sat on the shrinking side. I handed off four meetings and moved those hours into the work that lasts."

Grace Thompson
Head of Design · Melbourne, Australia

"Senior advisory work is getting more valuable, not less. I felt this but could not explain why. The report gave me the argument: being accountable, carrying trusted judgment, and putting your name to an opinion are things AI cannot do. I use that line with clients now, and it lands."

Mohammed Al-Rashid
M&A Partner · Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

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