Microsoft AI CEO: AI to Automate Most Office Work Within 12–18 Months

The countdown for white-collar work may have already begun.

Mustafa Suleyman, the CEO of Microsoft AI, suggests that the future of white-collar work may be uncertain. In a recent interview with the Financial Times, he predicted that artificial intelligence will automate most professional tasks within 12 to 18 months, including work done by lawyers, accountants, marketers, and project managers. 

The forecast adds fuel to a growing debate about how quickly AI systems will transition from assisting knowledge workers to replacing a significant portion of their daily tasks. Coding tools and enterprise software are rapidly adopting AI, but broader economic data suggest that the real-world impact has been uneven.

Suleyman forecasts rapid automation

According to Business Insider, Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman said in an interview with the Financial Times that AI systems are approaching “human-level performance on most, if not all, professional tasks.”

“So white-collar work, where you’re sitting down at a computer, being a lawyer or an accountant or a project manager or a marketing person — most of those tasks will be fully automated by an AI within the next 12 to 18 months,” explained Suleyman. 

Suleyman pointed out that AI’s rapid advancement over the past five years has brought about visible transformations in how some white-collar work is performed. 

He noted that employees are using AI-assisted coding for the vast majority of their code production. It’s quite a different relationship to the technology, and that’s happened in the last six months,” Suleyman added. 

Fortune also reported that Suleyman outlined Microsoft’s push to gain ground in the enterprise market through what he described as “professional-grade AGI,” or AI systems capable of performing the full range of tasks handled by human professionals. 

In comments quoted by Times Now, Suleyman said, “Creating a new model is going to be like creating a podcast or writing a blog.” 

“It is going to be possible to design an AI that suits your requirements for every institution, organization, and person on the planet,” Suleyman further explained. 

He emphasized Microsoft’s focus on developing its own frontier models, emphasizing that it’s the most important technology of our time and that the company must create models at the absolute frontier.

Broader context and early impact

Fortune reported that while AI leaders are making aggressive predictions, current research reflects a more gradual transition. 

A 2025 Thomson Reuters report found that lawyers, accountants, and auditors are experimenting with AI for targeted tasks such as document review and routine analysis. These efforts have produced modest productivity gains rather than widespread displacement. 

Fortune also cited a study by the nonprofit Model Evaluation and Threat Research, which found that AI tools made certain software development tasks take 20% longer. Additionally, the publication cited research by Apollo Global Management indicating that AI-related profit gains remain concentrated in major tech firms rather than broadly distributed across the economy. 

Fortune further reported that employment consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas recorded roughly 55,000 AI-related job cuts in 2025, although large-scale displacement across white-collar industries has not yet materialized. 

Times Now also highlighted that sectors such as finance, healthcare, and professional services are potentially vulnerable as AI capabilities advance.

Read our roundup of the best automation tools to help reduce repetitive work and improve efficiency.