Which Jobs Will Be Most Impacted by ChatGPT?

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Which Jobs Will Be Most Impacted by ChatGPT?

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Visualizing the impact of artificial intelligence on the labor market

Jobs Most Impacted by ChatGPT and Similar AI Models

On November 30, 2022, OpenAI heralded a new era of artificial intelligence (AI) by introducing ChatGPT to the world.

The AI chatbot stunned users with its human-like and thorough responses. ChatGPT could comprehend and answer a variety of different questions, make suggestions, research and write essays and briefs, and even tell jokes (amongst other tasks).

Many of these skills are used by workers in their jobs across the world, which begs the question: which jobs will be transformed, or even replaced, by generative AI in the coming future?

This infographic from Harrison Schell visualizes the March 2023 findings of OpenAI on the potential labor market impact of large language models (LLMs) and various applications of generative AI, including ChatGPT.

Methodology

The OpenAI working paper specifically examined the U.S. industries and jobs most “exposed” to large language models like GPT, which the chatbot ChatGPT operates on.

Key to the paper is the definition of what “exposed” actually means:

“A proxy for potential economic impact without distinguishing between labor-augmenting or labor-displacing effects.” – OpenAI

Thus, the results include both jobs where humans could possibly use AI to optimize their work, along with jobs that could potentially be automated altogether.

OpenAI found that 80% of the American workforce belonged to an occupation where at least 10% of their tasks can be done (or aided) by AI. One-fifth of the workforce belonged to an occupation where 50% of work tasks would be impacted by artificial intelligence.

The Jobs Most and Least at Risk of AI Disruption

Here is a list of jobs highlighted in the paper as likely to see (or already seeing) AI disruption, where AI can reduce the time to do tasks associated with the occupation by at least 50%.

Analysis was provided by a variety of human-made models as well as ChatGPT-4 models, with results from both showing below:

Jobs Categorized ByAI Exposure
AccountantsAI100%
Admin and legal assistantsAI100%
Climate change policy analystsAI100%
Reporters & journalistsAI100%
MathematiciansHuman & AI100%
Tax preparersHuman 100%
Financial analystsHuman100%
Writers & authorsHuman100%
Web designersHuman100%
Blockchain engineersAI97.1%
Court reportersAI96.4%
ProofreadersAI95.5%
Correspondence clerksAI95.2%
Survey researchersHuman84.0%
Interpreters/translatorsHuman82.4%
PR specialistsHuman80.6%
Animal scientistsHuman77.8%

Editor’s note: The paper only highlights some jobs impacted. One AI model found a list of 84 additional jobs that were “fully exposed”, but not all were listed. One human model found 15 additional “fully exposed” jobs that were not listed.

Generally, jobs that require repetitive tasks, some level of data analysis, and routine decision-making were found to face the highest risk of exposure.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, “information processing industries” that involve writing, calculating, and high-level analysis have a higher exposure to LLM-based artificial intelligence. However, science and critical-thinking jobs within those industries negatively correlate with AI exposure.

On the flipside, not every job is likely to be affected. Here’s a list of jobs that are likely least exposed to large language model AI disruption.

Jobs Least Exposed to AI
AthletesShort-order cooks
Large equipment operatorsBarbers/hair stylists
Glass installers & repairersDredge operators
Automotive mechanicsPower-line installers/repairers
Masons, carpenters, roofersOil field maintenance workers
Plumbers, painters, pipefittersServers, dishwashers, bartenders

Naturally, hands-on industries like manufacturing, mining, and agriculture were more protected, but still include information processing roles at risk.

Likewise, the in-person service industry is also expected to see minimal impact from these kinds of AI models. But, patterns are beginning to emerge for job-seekers and industries that may have to contend with artificial intelligence soon.

Artificial Intelligence Impacts on Different Levels of Jobs

OpenAI analyzed correlations between AI exposure in the labor market against a job’s requisite education level, wages, and job-training.

The paper found that jobs with higher wages have a higher exposure to LLM-based AI (though there were numerous low-wage jobs with high exposure as well).

Job ParameterAI Exposure Correlation
WagesDirect
EducationDirect
TrainingInverse

Professionals with higher education degrees also appeared to be more greatly exposed to AI impact, compared to those without.

However, occupations with a greater level of on-the-job training had the least amount of work tasks exposed, compared to those jobs with little-to-no training.

Will AI’s Impact on the Job Market Be Good or Bad?

The potential impact of ChatGPT and similar AI-driven models on individual job titles depends on several factors, including the nature of the job, the level of automation that is possible, and the exact tasks required.

However, while certain repetitive and predictable tasks can be automated, others that require intangibles like creative input, understanding cultural nuance, reading social cues, or executing good judgement cannot be fully hands-off yet.

And keep in mind that AI exposure isn’t limited to job replacement. Job transformation, with workers utilizing the AI to speed up or improve tasks output, is extremely likely in many of these scenarios. Already, there are employment ads for “AI Whisperers” who can effectively optimize automated responses from generalist AI.

As the AI arms race moves forward at a rapid pace rarely seen before in the history of technology, it likely won’t take long for us to see the full impact of ChatGPT and other LLMs on both jobs and the economy.

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This article was published as a part of Visual Capitalist's Creator Program, which features data-driven visuals from some of our favorite Creators around the world.

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Charted: Countries Accumulating the Most AI Patents

Uncover which countries hold the most AI patents—and why the quality and impact of patents matter more than quantity.

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Charted: Countries Accumulating the Most AI Patents

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

Key Takeaways

  • According to the 2025 AI Index Report, China has accumulated 70% of global AI patents
  • Evidence suggests that the majority of China’s AI patents are only applied for and protected within China

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to reshape industries globally, but which nations are leading its innovation?

One way to measure leadership is through patent filings, which legally protect novel ideas or inventions. In the case of AI, securing a patent typically involves demonstrating unique methodologies, machine learning algorithms, or applications capable of significantly advancing existing technologies.

This visualization is part of Visual Capitalist’s AI Week, sponsored by Terzo, and uses data from the 2025 AI Index Report to see which countries & regions have accumulated the most AI patents.

Data & Discussion

The data we used to create this graphic is listed below. Note that 2023 is the most recent year for which data was accessible. All figures were sourced from patent-level bibliographic records in PATSTAT Global, provided by the European Patent Office (EPO).

YearChinaU.S.Rest of AsiaEuropeRest of World
201013.4%40.0%37.2%8.6%0.8%
201118.8%32.4%40.1%7.9%0.7%
201221.2%34.6%35.9%7.8%0.5%
201320.4%38.1%34.8%5.9%0.8%
201418.1%42.1%32.7%6.4%0.7%
201525.8%42.8%24.4%6.4%0.6%
201631.3%39.2%22.5%6.3%0.8%
201736.9%34.5%21.3%6.6%0.8%
201843.8%28.7%20.8%6.1%0.6%
201942.9%31.2%20.0%5.4%0.5%
202050.2%26.5%18.8%4.1%0.4%
202157.9%21.0%17.3%3.5%0.4%
202264.9%17.5%14.3%3.0%0.3%
202369.7%14.2%13.1%2.8%0.3%

Rethinking China’s Lead in AI Patents

While China has filed more generative AI patents than any other country—over 38,000 between 2014 and 2023—experts caution that this volume may not equate to technological dominance.

For starters, a significant portion of its patents are filed only within China, with just 7.3% submitted internationally.

The quality of these patents is also under scrutiny, based on the patent grant ratio which is the ratio of patents granted against the number of applications.

China’s general patent grant ratio is 55% as of 2023, which trails that of other major economies like Japan (70%) and Canada (77%). Numbers released by the Ministry of Industry and Information of China in April 2024 suggest that the grant ratio of China’s AI patents is even lower, at 32%.

Quantifying U.S. Leadership

While falling behind China in terms of patents, the U.S. is undoubtedly leading the direction of global AI development.

In 2024, U.S. organizations produced 40 “notable AI models” compared to China’s 15. The AI Index Report defines notable AI models as those that make meaningful technological advancements.

According to WIPO’s Patent Landscape Report, American patents and publications also receive significantly more global citations, highlighting their outsized impact.

For example, OpenAI has published just 48 articles (ranked 325th), but its publications have received 11,816 citations (ranked 13th).

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