Dive Brief:
- The four sectors most exposed to artificial intelligence displacement risk are Computer & Mathematical, Office & Administrative Support, Business & Financial, and Sales, according to a new study from AI firm Anthropic, creator of Claude.
- The study based its assessments on observed exposure, defined at the task level, meaning that “AI can grade homework but not manage a classroom.” Anthropic said that as a result, “teachers are considered less exposed than workers whose entire job can be performed remotely.”
- The study also cited data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which projected that occupations with higher observed exposure to artificial intelligence will grow less through 2034. Anthropic said workers in the most exposed professions “are more likely to be older, female, more educated, and higher-paid.”
Dive Insight:
Anthropic said in its report that AI “is far from reaching its theoretical capability” and that “actual coverage remains a fraction of what’s feasible.” The report added that authors made the assumption that AI “impacts should affect the most exposed workers first.”
The report found “no systematic increase in unemployment for highly exposed workers since late 2022,” although report authors said there was “suggestive evidence that hiring of younger workers has slowed in exposed occupations.”
For that reason, young workers may be somewhat at risk. Citing a 2025 study from Brynjolfsson et al., Anthropic’s report noted a 6% to 16% fall in employment in exposed occupations among workers aged 22 to 25. Brynjolfsson attributed the decrease “primarily to a slowdown in hiring rather than an increase in separations.”
The report said that while the unemployment rate for young workers in exposed occupations is flat, the slowed hiring “may not necessarily manifest as increased unemployment, since many young workers are labor market entrants without a listed occupation” and those workers “may exit the labor force rather than appear as unemployed.”
Anthropic also noted there were “several alternative interpretations” for the results, such as the possibility that “young workers who are not hired may be remaining at their existing jobs, taking different jobs, or returning to school.”
A 2025 report from global consulting firm Korn Ferry found that more than 4 in 10 companies planned to replace existing roles with AI. In particular, positions in the back office (58%) and entry level (37%) were at risk.