Science

Bill Gates points to three professions that will not succumb to AI

The Microsoft co-founder is clear that, however much technology advances, the human presence will remain irreplaceable in certain areas.

John Keatley | via REUTERS

Lucía Martín Payo Greg Heilman

Update: Mar 26th, 2026 08:30 EDT

The rapid rise of artificial intelligence continues to raise questions about the future of the job market. Fears that technology could eventually replace human workers are not unfounded: investment bank Morgan Stanley, one of the world’s leading financial analysts, has published a study confirming that AI-driven job displacement is already happening.

According to its findings, the replacement of human workers by algorithms is being felt especially strongly in major economies such as the United Kingdom, which is leading this trend among large, developed nations.

Still, at age 70, Bill Gates, Microsoft co-founder and one of the most influential voices in the tech sector, argues that the machine revolution has its limits. In his view, there are three industries that will remain resilient because technology cannot replicate what their professionals bring to the table.

Programmers and software developers

It may seem contradictory that the people who build technology could be protected from it, but professionals who design computer systems appear to have a secure future. Although AI is already capable of writing code on its own, it still lacks the precision and judgment required for more complex software. Human programmers are still needed to oversee the work, identify errors, and ultimately optimize the final product.

Biologists and researchers

Medical research is not just about processing information. It also depends on the intuition and critical thinking of the professionals working in the field. No matter how quickly AI can organize and analyze medical data, it cannot independently generate truly original ideas. That is why, in this sector, technology will likely remain a highly useful tool that supports scientists rather than replacing the human talent behind every breakthrough.

Workers in the energy sector

Everything related to oil, nuclear power, and renewable energy is simply too complex to rely entirely on an algorithm. In this field, hands-on experience is what makes the difference when it comes to making major decisions, determining the next step, managing periods of surging global demand, and responding effectively when supply disruptions occur.

The jobs most exposed to change

At the other end of the spectrum, Microsoft published a report quantifying which sectors face the greatest risk of overlap with artificial intelligence. The list of vulnerable professions is led by interpreters and translators, with a 98% overlap with this technology. They are followed closely by historians, mathematicians, and text editors (all at 91%), as well as writers (85%) and journalists (81%).

Despite how striking these percentages may seem, Kieran Tomlinson, a researcher at the technology company, clarified that these figures do not mean the professionals mentioned will automatically be replaced. What the study suggests is that these job categories have a high level of exposure to artificial intelligence and will need to learn how to use it productively in order to remain competitive in the market.