White-collar job automation is now being framed as an operational timeline, not a distant forecast. Microsoft AI chief Mustafa Suleyman said a large share of computer-based professional tasks could be automated within 12 to 18 months, including legal, accounting, project management, and marketing workflows.
He described active development around enterprise AI agents that can execute multi-step work such as contract drafting, compliance review, and financial analysis. In the same roadmap, customized AI models are expected to become as easy to create as publishing a blog or podcast.
Suleyman also projected that, within two to three years, AI agents could manage substantial and complex workflows across large organizations. That moves white-collar job automation beyond copilots toward deeper process ownership in daily operations.
The strategic signal is the timing alignment: near-term agent deployment, medium-term workflow control, and platform self-sufficiency milestones. Microsoft was also described as expanding in-house model development with launches possible as early as 2026, while reducing reliance on external model providers.
Labor-market pressure is being discussed alongside product rollout. Reports described one major cloud software company with roughly 1,000 role cuts and broader efficiency restructurings, while software engineering was presented as an early indicator because AI-assisted coding now drives most output in many teams. Another major AI chief has also warned that up to half of entry-level white-collar roles could be eliminated.
