Hello and welcome to Work Week, the podcast where we tackle one big question each week about the rapidly evolving workplace, explore what the research says about the issue, and explain what it all means for you. 

I’m Dr. Gabby Burlacu, Senior Manager with The Upwork Research Institute. As always on Work Week, what you’re hearing are my words, brought to you by a digital proxy of my voice that was created with the help of AI.

And how we have used AI to supercharge our team in making this podcast is especially relevant to today’s topic: How AI and automation are reshaping jobs. This is happening in virtually every category of work, from manual laborers to CEOs, and it’s causing people to feel a mix of excitement and, if we’re being honest, unease. 

The fear is that we need to brace ourselves for a period of massive job displacement. But the hope is that AI will empower people in both their professional and personal pursuits. And more than that, many experts suggest that we could be on the brink of discovering whole new categories of work.

So? How should we view the effect AI is having on the workplace? With fear? With hope? Or with something else entirely? 

The headlines often paint a pretty stark picture—robots taking over entire departments and customers left to deal with dispassionate and unhelpful chatbots—but the reality is far more nuanced.

For the next ten minutes, we’re going to explore what recent research shows, including data from Upwork, and dig into how AI, automation, and the freelance economy are all colliding to transform work as we know it.

First, let me set the stage. Every day, we hear new reports warning about robots or algorithms replacing human labor—from self-driving trucks to AI-driven customer support. But when we peel back the curtain and take a close look at how actual business practices are changing, what we find is that automation is more often a tool that people are using to work more efficiently, rather than a fully capable automaton that is replacing people.

So the question for leaders isn’t really if AI will take over our work or replace our workforce. The question is, “How can AI be successfully integrated into our existing practices?” 

Many of the leaders who are finding ways to do this are already seeing returns. I have an anecdote to ground us here. Maria—Director of Product at a mid-sized consumer tech firm—was tasked with creating an AI-driven feature for their flagship mobile app, but her development team was overextended and lacked specialized machine-learning expertise. At the same time, the idea of an AI-driven app made her customer support staff worry they’d be replaced by chatbots. It was affecting morale, and the tension was palpable. 

This simple anecdote is happening across the country, and highlights the question on everyone’s mind: “Will AI help them innovate and open new career paths, or will it phase out certain roles?”

Answering that question is why we’re discussing these issues today. Ultimately, we want to determine whether AI and automation can make work more fulfilling, or if entire job categories are at risk.

We’ll come back to Maria’s story, but for now let’s look at the big picture. AI solutions—from advanced analytics to generative AI tools like ChatGPT—are exploding in popularity. And according to data from The Upwork Research Institute, there’s a huge growth in demand for freelancers with AI-related skills. That means businesses are spending more on AI initiatives, but also that internal teams often lack the expertise to handle these projects.

Which is one reason that platforms like Upwork are seeing so many AI-focused job postings. Instead of AI wiping out entire departments, leaders are seeing that they have a skills gap. They’re turning to flexible or freelance experts to get projects off the ground and, ideally, upskill their existing staff in the process.

As to the big question—Are these AI advances displacing existing workers?—according to data from The Upwork Research Institute, the answer is more nuanced than “robots taking our jobs.” Certain routine tasks are being automated, but it’s not always a one-for-one swap.

For example, we see the emergence of roles like Machine Learning Engineer, Prompt Engineer, AI Auditor, or Ethical AI Specialist on our platform. These are new or evolving roles, reflecting how AI often changes tasks rather than replacing entire jobs.

Which is exactly what’s happening in areas like customer support. Maria, the Director of Product I brought up earlier, had a team of customer service representatives who were worried about being replaced by the new AI tool they were developing. But what the data shows is that AI-enabled chatbots can give routine answers to a customer’s basic inquiry, but aren’t as good at handling more complex issues. 

Empowering the customer service team with AI allows for simple questions—the kind that can flood a service center and even demoralize a department—to be automated, allowing human agents to tackle more complex issues that require empathy and understanding. It’s a shift that can be quite empowering—as long as leadership provides the right support and training.

And proper training is key. Upwork data shows a major spike in demand for generative AI freelancers—basically experts who can translate business challenges into AI-driven solutions. But this is not just about coding. Businesses also need pros who can interpret AI outputs and guide strategic decisions. Titles like “AI Business Analyst” or “Automation Strategist” are popping up in job descriptions.

An aspect to all of this that is fascinating is just how quickly these roles materialize in a global marketplace. For someone like Maria, who needed to develop an AI-driven feature for the company’s mobile app, this means she could hire a freelance machine-learning engineer on-demand to build a prototype, while her in-house team shadowed the project and learned from the independent expert. Over time, this will enable her to cultivate AI capabilities within her organization, instead of relying solely on external talent.

Looking at the broader economic backdrop, we see labor shortages and skill mismatches across many industries, particularly in tech. We see that while AI can automate some tasks, it doesn’t magically fix the larger issue of a workforce that needs continuous reskilling.

This leads us to the idea of a “human + AI,” rather than an “either human or AI,” mindset. Research from Upwork suggests companies that actively train employees in AI-related tools and processes see higher satisfaction—because people spend less time on repetitive and tedious work and more on meaningful, strategic work.

Managers and leaders trying to give their employees the benefits of AI need to communicate how AI is an enhancer to their workflows, not a threat to jobs; that AI isn’t here to take your job, it’s here to transform it.

The upshot is that AI is more than a simple cost-saving tool. Yes, it can automate repetitive tasks, but it can also free employees to focus on strategic, high-value work. That’s where the real growth happens. So if you’re a business leader and you’re feeling anxious about how AI is going to transform your work, look for ways that it can already take on some of your repetitive tasks so that you can better focus on your core business.

And if your teams are anxious about AI, consider how your messaging shapes their perception. Are you emphasizing new possibilities and growth? When done right, AI can boost both productivity and morale, but it requires intentional change management and open communication. 

And that brings us to this week’s final segment, where we offer you an action to consider implementing, as well as an idea to reflect on.

A practical step you can take starts with a “Tasks Audit.” Encourage each department to list their daily tasks and identify the ones that are repetitive or easily automated. Then see if you have the in-house talent to implement an appropriate AI tool, or if you need external freelancers to get started.

As you begin to integrate these new processes, you can help your existing team by giving them opportunities to upskill and reskill with targeted training or micro-credentials so they can build confidence using AI tools. Fear often comes from a lack of understanding—so make AI literacy part of your culture.

And then, as these AI projects get off the ground, pilot them with cross-functional teams. When you blend technical expertise with insights from marketing, customer service, and other departments, you get solutions that are both innovative and practical.

And here’s this week’s reflection question: In your organization, how can AI enrich the human experience at work, rather than diminish it?

If people only see AI as a cost-cutting measure, they’ll feel threatened. But if they see AI as a path to deeper engagement and skill-building, it becomes an exciting opportunity. Encourage a mindset shift from, “Will I lose my job?” to, “How can AI help me excel at my job?”

And that’s it for today’s episode of Work Week! We explored how AI and automation are reshaping jobs—not as a tidal wave of job losses but as a catalyst for evolving roles and skills. AI can handle the mundane, leaving us free to be more creative, strategic, and impactful.

If you found this conversation helpful, subscribe or share it with a colleague who’s grappling with similar challenges. And if you have burning questions about the future of work, send them our way—we might tackle them in an upcoming episode!

For Work Week, I’m Gabby Burlacu, reminding you that the future of work isn’t just something that happens to us—it’s something we co-create through our choices, innovations, and willingness to adapt. 

Thank you for joining us, and we’ll see you next week on Work Week.