SAN FRANCISCO, July 11, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Upwork (Nasdaq: UPWK), the world’s work marketplace, today announced a major expansion of AI offerings and resources, making Upwork the preeminent destination for businesses to find trusted AI talent and solutions, and for skilled professionals to find flexible AI work opportunities and access to emergent generative AI tools.

The launch is headlined by Upwork’s new AI Services hub, an interactive experience that connects companies with some of the most skilled independent professionals in AI fields from across the globe, along with new beta features powered by OpenAI technologies that help customers get work done faster and more effectively on Upwork. Additionally, Upwork has partnered with Jasper, a leading generative AI content generation platform, to offer talent on Upwork modern generative AI tools that fuel increased productivity and work quality.

“Disruptive technology and platform shifts create new opportunities. We recognize generative AI will be a force-multiplier for both talent and businesses of all sizes that rely on our platform, enabling anyone who comes to Upwork to get work done to achieve their true business objectives,” said Dave Bottoms, general manager and VP of product for the Upwork Marketplace. “We are always looking for ways to empower our customers with the tools and streamlined experiences they need to work smarter to achieve those goals. The combination of platform improvements, product partnerships and the resources we’re launching today are important steps forward in delivering on that promise of continued innovation.”

Upwork has seen significant adoption of generative AI among independent professionals and businesses on its platform, with over 450% growth in weekly job posts related to generative AI compared to last year. To support this demand, Upwork unveiled its new AI Services hub, bringing AI-related work, skills and tools together into one place for customers. Today, talent working on the Upwork platform represent more than 250 unique AI skills, meaning businesses of any size can find the right expert for any AI job.

In addition to increased access to top global AI talent, Upwork today launched multiple generative AI-enhanced beta features powered by OpenAI technologies, along with resources for customers, including:

• Job Post Generator: An AI-powered job post generator, designed to help clients create fully customizable job post drafts in seconds.
• Upwork Chat: An enhanced Upwork chat experience that helps businesses new to Upwork navigate the platform, learn how to hire, and jumpstart their talent search, meaning clients can hire trusted talent more quickly and effectively than ever.
• Proposal Tips: Proposal tips that help talent create more professional proposals in an instant so they can win more work.
• Additional Resources: The latest resources on AI from Upwork, including guides for quickly integrating generative AI into your business, research on the adoption of generative AI in the workplace, and access to the AI and Machine Learning Upwork Community Group.

“I’m excited about the transformative possibilities of tapping generative AI to get work done. Not only is Upwork providing access to a suite of modern AI tools that makes me more productive, but they have created a place where I can find the AI work opportunities I’m looking for,” said Abay Bektursun, an AI engineer on Upwork. “I’m fielding a massive influx of requests from clients to provide custom AI solutions that center on figuring out the best way to apply generative AI to solve their business challenges.”

Starting today, Upwork is introducing an exclusive 30-day free trial of Jasper generative AI services for copywriting, marketing, and image creation available to all talent on Upwork, so that they can increase their productivity, communicate more effectively with clients, and elevate the quality of their work.

“We're thrilled to be entering into this partnership, which puts our generative AI tools in the hands of an enormous pool of skilled and talented professionals on Upwork,” said Dave Rogenmoser, CEO of Jasper. “Access to these innovative tools can help creators increase productivity, augment creativity, and unlock business growth. We’re delighted to be working with Upwork and look forward to seeing the impact we can have together.”

To explore the AI Services hub and work, smarter, visit: https://www.upwork.com/ai.

About Upwork
Upwork is the world’s largest work marketplace that connects businesses with independent talent from across the globe, as measured by gross services volume. We serve everyone from one-person startups to large, Fortune 100 enterprises with a powerful, trust-driven platform that enables companies and talent to work together in new ways that unlock their potential. Our talent community earned over $3.8 billion on Upwork in 2022 across more than 10,000 skills in categories including website & app development, creative & design, customer support, finance & accounting, consulting, and operations. Learn more at upwork.com and join us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

Contact:
Zach Moses
press@upwork.com

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

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