Microsoft AI chief Mustafa Suleyman predicts widespread white-collar job automation within 12-18 months

Microsoft AI chief Mustafa Suleyman predicts widespread white-collar job automation within 12-18 months

https://m.economictimes.com/tech/artificial-intelligence/microsoft-ai-chief-mustafa-suleyman-predicts-widespread-white-collar-job-automation-within-18-months/amp_articleshow/128294019.cms

Publish Date: 2026-02-13 02:27:00

Source Domain: m.economictimes.com

Here is a summary of the article in an unordered list format with between 4 and 6 key points:

– Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman warns that artificial intelligence (AI) will automate many white-collar jobs within the next 12-to-18 months.
– Suleyman announced that Microsoft is advancing its development of “professional-grade AGI,” specifically focusing on systems to automate routine knowledge-work tasks.
– White-collar tasks such as legal work, accounting, project management, and marketing are likely to be fully automated by AI in the near future.
– Instead of replacing individual roles, Microsoft is creating AI agents that can independently handle multi-step workflows, including drafting contracts and financial analysis.
– Recent instances of AI-assisted cost-cutting, such as Salesforce’s layoff of 1,000 employees, reflect the broader trend of automation driven by AI.
– Suleyman envisions a future where creating personalized AI models will be as straightforward as starting a blog or podcast, with AI agents managing significant portions of institutional workflows in the next 2-3 years.