<div id="readability-page-1"><p>Tech giant Microsoft (MSFT) just started one doozy of a countdown clock for anyone who works in an office setting, as it projects that artificial intelligence (AI) will automate most white-collar work, from lawyers to accountants and beyond, in somewhere around 12 to 18 months. But that was not the only prediction Microsoft brought out about AI. While Microsoft is regarding one of the greatest sea changes in the economy since the arrival of the internet as a thing of the very near future, investors were still reasonably pleased. Microsoft shares ticked up fractionally in Friday afternoon's trading.</p><h3>Valentine's Day Sale - 70% Off</h3><ul><li>Unlock  hedge fund-level data  and  powerful investing tools  for smarter, sharper decisions  </li><li> Stay ahead of the market with  the latest news and analysis  and maximize your portfolio's potential</li></ul> <p>Microsoft's Mustafa Suleyman noted that AI is reaching a point where &#34;…most professional white-collar tasks&#34; could be automated in the next two years, as AI has reached &#34;…human-level performance&#34; of most of its roles. This is actually being seen at Microsoft itself, as Microsoft software engineers are using &#34;…AI-assisted coding&#34; for large parts of their overall coding.</p> <p>And while this sounds like a countdown to doomsday, in which all those employees are replaced by machines, which kicks off a dystopian nightmare of persistently high unemployment, this may not be the case at all. Suleyman also looks for a &#34;major AI safety incident&#34; to take place in the next two to three years without some kind of large-scale regulatory mechanism in place to prevent such things.</p> <h2><strong>&#34;More Flexible, Connected Future&#34;</strong></h2> <p>And for those whose jobs will be lost to AI in the near future, Microsoft has a plan waiting for you there, too. It is working to build a &#34;…more flexible, connected future&#34; for the Xbox platform, which it expects to reveal soon. With this year being the 25<sup>th</sup> anniversary of Xbox, it is little surprise that Microsoft has some big announcements to come.</p> <p>The Game Developers Conference kicks off next month in San Francisco, and with its arrival, Microsoft will have a range of panels waiting to show off the future as it sees it. This includes one panel called &#34;Building for the Future with Xbox,&#34; which will likely include a portion about why the next Xbox is really just a glorified PC now.</p> <h2><strong>Is Microsoft a Buy, Hold or Sell?</strong></h2> <p>Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Strong Buy consensus rating on MSFT stock based on 32 Buys and four Holds assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 1.61% loss in its share price over the past year, the average MSFT price target of $593.38 per share implies 46.67% upside potential.</p></div>

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<p>Microsoft (MSFT) predicts that AI will automate most white-collar jobs within 12 to 18 months, causing concern over potential unemployment. Despite this, investors reacted positively, with MSFT shares rising slightly. Mustafa Suleyman from Microsoft noted that AI is achieving human-level performance in many tasks. The company is also preparing for significant announcements related to Xbox, coinciding with its 25th anniversary. Analysts maintain a Strong Buy consensus on MSFT stock, with a price target suggesting a 46.67% upside potential.</p>

- Microsoft predicts that artificial intelligence will automate most white-collar jobs within 12 to 18 months, reaching human-level performance in many sectors.  
- Despite concerns about job displacement, investors reacted positively, with Microsoft shares experiencing a slight increase.  
- Analysts maintain a Strong Buy consensus for Microsoft stock, indicating a significant upside potential after a recent decline in share price.

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Two Years to Unemployment: Microsoft Stock (NASDAQ:MSFT) Notches Up With New Projection of AI in White Collar Work