The 12 Jobs Most At Risk Of Being Replaced By Robots

Mobile robots and "smart" computers are threatening to replace up to half the U.S. workforce within the next decade or two, according to a Bloomberg report.

The report cites an Oxford University study that identified more than 700 occupations at risk of computer automation.

Here are the jobs that are most at risk, based on the study.

"Loan officers are among the most susceptible professions," writes Bloomberg's Aki Ito. "Inroads are already being made by Daric Inc., an online peer-to-peer lender partially funded by former Wells Fargo & Co. Chairman Richard Kovacevich."

Daric Inc. uses an algorithm to identify safe borrowers.

"Begun in November, it doesn't employ a single loan officer," Ito writes. "It probably never will."

Retail and fast food workers are also at high risk of being replaced by automated systems. Many stores and restaurants are now letting customers order and pay for food and other purchases via mobile devices, which is reducing the need for cashiers, waiters and salespeople.