The firm behind the world’s most advanced chatbot has warned that artificial intelligence is set to take over a number of jobs, with 44 careers at risk of being replaced by robots
The tech giant behind the world’s most popular chatbot has issued a chilling warning that artificial intelligence poses a serious threat to workers’ jobs.
Executives at the ChatGPT creator have released a damning new study identifying 44 professions at risk of being replaced by AI.
Scientists used a specialised assessment called GDPval to compare state-of-the-art technology against human workers across America’s nine most lucrative industries.
The revelation comes as the US Military develops AI pilot drones capable of launching devastating strikes on Beijing and Moscow, reports the Express. The results spell disaster for those employed in retail and sales roles, according to the Daily Mail.
Human experts were brought in to determine whether AI or real professionals produced better outcomes on workplace tasks.
Anthropic’s Claude Opus 4.1 system proved the top performer, beating human competitors in an astonishing 47.6 per cent of contests on average, with some professions experiencing even more crushing losses.
The technology obliterated counter and rental clerks in a shocking 81 per cent of head-to-head battles.
ChatGPT’s parent company stated: “We found that today’s best frontier models are already approaching the quality of work produced by industry experts.”
Nurses and engineers faced gruelling examinations.
Scientists put all 44 professions through intensive testing against AI systems on tasks workers routinely perform in their everyday roles. Registered nurses found themselves analysing photographs of skin conditions and preparing consultation documents, while manufacturing engineers grappled with creating digital 3D designs of cable reels.
Assessors were kept in the dark about whether humans or robots completed each task, simply selecting the most impressive results.
Scientists analysed the data to determine a “win rate”, indicating how chatbots compare to real-world professionals.
However, tech bosses admit that these tests don’t paint the full picture.
The company acknowledged that the experiment doesn’t encompass all aspects of a job, recognising that “most jobs are more than just a collection of tasks that can be written down.”
Despite this, the Silicon Valley giant maintains that the findings accurately forecast the significant impact AI will have on professionals across various sectors.
Most at-risk jobs
Retail workers appear to face the most daunting future, with certain chatbots outperforming shop staff 56 per cent of the time on average.
Employees in the wholesale trade sector aren’t faring much better, recording a 53 per cent AI victory rate, while government roles including compliance officers and social workers experienced 52 per cent defeats.
However, film directors and journalists seem to have dodged the worst of the AI threat.
The information sector, which includes directors, film producers and journalists, emerged relatively unscathed, with even the best-performing systems only triumphing 39 per cent of the time.
However, some careers within these fields fell significantly below the average performance.
Sales managers have been identified as the second most vulnerable group to AI, with artificial systems outperforming them in a staggering 79 per cent of instances, hot on the heels of counter and rental clerks.
Shipping and receiving clerks were defeated by AI 76 per cent of the time, while editors saw their robotic rivals triumph over them in 75 per cent of contests.
Even professions traditionally reliant on human intuition are not safe from the AI threat, with private detectives and investigators only managing to win a mere 30 per cent of face-offs.
Most efficient AI
Different chatbot systems showed vastly different performances, with some models excelling in specific task types.
Claude’s Opus 4.1 had issues with precision but managed to secure victories by producing visually appealing graphics.
The company’s top-tier GPT5-high system achieved an average win rate of 48.8 per cent across all professions and led the pack in terms of accuracy.
ChatGPT’s GPT-4o system, which was launched just 15 months prior, could only manage victories in a paltry 12.4 per cent of tests.
This stark difference in results highlights the rapid pace at which AI is catching up to human abilities and the significant impact it could have on workforces globally.
Company boss Sam Altman has confessed that worries about job losses caused by AI technology keep him up at night.
During his stint on The Tucker Carlson Show last month, Mr Altman declared: “I’m confident that a lot of current customer support that happens over a phone or computer, those people will lose their jobs, and that’ll be better done by an AI.”
Mr Altman has even floated the possibility that as many as 40 per cent of all positions could face automation through AI down the line.
Bosses attempt to cushion the impact
However, the tech titan held back from announcing that humans would face immediate replacement by AI.
The company has tried reframing these results as evidence of how AI could “support people in the work they do every day.”
AI win rate against human professionals:
AI win rate against human professionals:
- Counter and rental clerks: 81%
- Sales managers: 79%
- Shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks: 76%
- Editors: 75%
- Software developers: 70%
- Private detectives and investigators: 70%
- Compliance officers: 69%
- First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers: 69%
- Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products: 68%
- General operations managers: 67%
- Medical and health services managers: 65%
- Buyers and purchasing agents: 64%
- Personal financial advisers: 64%
- Administrative services managers: 62%
- Customer service representatives: 59%
- First-line supervisors of retail sales workers: 59%
- First-line supervisors of production and operating workers: 58%
- Nurse practitioners: 56%
- Real estate brokers: 54%
- News analysts, reporters, and journalists: 53%
- Computer and information systems managers: 52%
- First-line supervisors of police and detectives: 49%
- Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products: 47%
- Lawyers: 46%
- Project management specialists: 42%
- Child, family, and school social workers: 42%
- Medical secretaries and administrative assistants: 42%
- Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents: 42%
- First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers: 41%
- Financial investment analysts: 41%
- Recreation workers: 37%
- Registered nurses: 37%
- Property, real estate, and community association managers: 34%
- Financial managers: 32%
- Producers and directors: 31%
- Audio and video technicians: 30%
- Concierges: 29%
- Order clerks: 28%
- Real estate sales agents: 27%
- Pharmacists: 26%
- Accountants and auditors: 24%
- Mechanical engineers: 23%
- Industrial engineers: 17%
- Film and video editors: 17%
Source: Open AI, GPDval 2025.
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