A freelance writer has said artificial intelligence has effectively taken £120,000 from him over two years, as new research reveals the extent to which chatbots could perform tasks across dozens of professions.
Joe Turner, 38, previously earned a six-figure income but reports losing approximately 70% of his clients to AI chatbots during the past two years. The former high earner described the experience as a profound shock, both personally and professionally.
“You’ve put your heart and soul into it for so long, and then you get replaced by a machine,” Mr Turner said. He characterised the shift as “a betrayal” after years of dedication to his craft, adding that “you always think ‘it’s never going to happen to me’.”
His experience comes as research by Microsoft, published in July, suggests that around 85% of tasks in writing roles could be carried out by AI systems. The study, based on an analysis of 200,000 conversations with the company’s Co-Pilot chatbot, examined the potential for automation across various occupations.
According to the research, historians and coders face particularly high exposure, with the chatbot capable of completing at least 90% of their work. Journalists and salespeople could see approximately 80% of their tasks performed by AI, whilst DJs and data scientists face exposure of around 75%.
The study identified 40 job roles as “most exposed” to AI displacement. Customer service assistants could see 72% of their tasks automated, whilst financial advisers face 69% exposure and product promoters 62%.
Kiran Tomlinson, a senior Microsoft researcher, emphasised that the analysis aimed to show which job categories can “productively use AI chatbots,” rather than which positions will be eliminated. Microsoft’s interpretation stresses augmentation and the usefulness of AI tools, rather than direct job replacement.
Mr Turner rejected this optimistic framing. “That’s what they want to market it as,” he said of Microsoft’s positive spin on the technology, signalling clear disagreement with the notion that AI serves merely as a productivity tool.
Industry experts, researchers and affected workers interviewed for the Money section expressed similar scepticism about Microsoft’s interpretation, with broader concern that the technology will substitute for human labour rather than simply support it.
