Can Upwork's AI Push Set It Apart in the Freelance Economy?

As the freelance economy evolves and artificial intelligence (AI) gains traction, Upwork Inc. UPWK has been accelerating efforts to make its platform AI-native. At the center of this effort is Uma, Upwork’s in-house “Mindful AI” that’s transforming how users navigate the site. From writing proposals to evaluating candidates, Uma is already taking care of routine tasks and making the user experience more seamless.

And this effort of integrating AI onto its own platform has started paying off. In Q1, engagement with Uma jumped 52% over the previous quarter, with proposal writing features alone seeing a 58% lift. That’s not just product hype—those tools are delivering real platform benefits. AI features are already boosting proposal volumes, client conversions, hiring rates and even freelancer earnings.

Upwork is doubling down on AI through organic innovation and strategic acquisitions. Upwork’s acquisition of Objective AI has sharpened its talent matching and expanded multi-modal capabilities across image, video and audio. The deal has strengthened its in-house AI and machine learning expertise, helping to drive business outcomes and improving gross services volume.

Upwork plans to actively build more personalized, intelligent tools that enhance onboarding, matching, and overall hiring efficiency throughout the year.

For investors, this shift matters. By embedding AI directly into its core operations, Upwork is positioning itself as the most adaptive, efficient, and user-friendly platform in its category. That could translate into stronger retention, better unit economics, and higher growth over time.

Of course, Upwork isn’t the only platform chasing this AI advantage. Its closest peer, Fiverr International FVRR, is also ramping up its AI capabilities, with tools like Fiverr Neo—its own AI-driven talent-matching engine—and expanding service categories dedicated to AI-related projects. Fiverr is positioning itself as an AI-first platform, aiming to streamline hiring and boost efficiency for both freelancers and clients.

Meanwhile, Microsoft’s MSFT LinkedIn is becoming a powerful player in the AI-powered work ecosystem. Microsoft is embedding generative AI across LinkedIn, from smarter job matching to AI-enhanced profile building.

As Fiverr and Microsoft continue integrating AI across their platforms, competition in the digital talent space is intensifying. Both Fiverr and Microsoft are sharpening their edge, pushing Upwork to innovate faster and stay ahead.

The Zacks Rundown for UPWK

Shares of Upwork have lost around 17% year to date compared with the industry’s decline of 6%.

From a valuation standpoint, UPWK trades at a forward price-to-sales ratio of 2.33, lower than the industry and its own 5-year average. 

See how the Zacks Consensus Estimate for Upwork’s earnings has been revised over the past 60 days.

Upwork stock currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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