Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman says artificial intelligence could reach human-level performance on most professional tasks within the next 12 to 18 months, putting roles in accounting, law, marketing, and project management at risk.
Speaking to the Financial Times, Suleyman said the rapid rise in computing power means AI will soon outperform most human coders and be customizable for any organization. “Creating a new model is going to be like creating a podcast or writing a blog,” he said, adding that Microsoft’s goal is to build “superintelligence” and reduce reliance on OpenAI by developing its own foundation models.
Suleyman’s prediction echoes warnings from other tech leaders. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has said AI could eliminate half of entry-level white-collar jobs, while Ford CEO Jim Farley and Elon Musk have made similar forecasts about widespread automation.
So far, the real-world impact remains limited. A 2025 Thomson Reuters report found that lawyers, accountants, and auditors are using AI mainly for document review and routine analysis, with only marginal productivity gains. A study by Model Evaluation and Threat Research found AI actually slowed some software developers by 20%.
Economic benefits have also been concentrated in Big Tech. Apollo Global Management economist Torsten Slok reported that while Big Tech profit margins rose over 20% in late 2025, the broader market saw little change. Investors, he noted, don’t expect AI to boost earnings outside the tech sector.
Still, job losses linked to AI are emerging. Employment firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported 49,135 AI-related cuts this year. Microsoft itself laid off 15,000 workers last year, with CEO Satya Nadella saying the company must “reimagine our mission for a new era.”
Markets have reacted sharply to the automation risk. In February, software stocks dropped sharply after OpenAI and Anthropic unveiled agentic AI systems capable of performing core SaaS functions, a selloff analysts dubbed the “SaaSpocalypse.”
While Suleyman insists AI development won’t slow down, recent data suggests the technology’s disruption is still narrow and uneven across the economy.