What changed
On November 10, 2026, OpenAI and Upwork released research highlighting shifts in freelance work demand as AI adoption grows. The study found that AI-related projects are combining tasks in new ways and involving larger budgets and more hours of work. Freelancers are being asked to apply AI in tasks such as chatbot development, video production, marketing automation, and application integration. AI-related postings listed about as many tasks as other postings but more often combined tasks that had rarely appeared together in earlier jobs.
What this means in practice
The research indicates that clients are increasingly requesting AI in a broader range of work, leading to more complex and diverse project requirements. For example, some clients asked for AI-generated video, editing, and motion graphics in a single posting. The mix of tasks in AI-related postings became 45% more diverse between early 2023 and late 2025. AI-related projects also had larger fixed-price budgets and involved more hours of work, suggesting a broader scope of tasks. While posted hourly rates were similar for AI-related and other work, the higher budgets may reflect the expanded scope of projects.
Limitations and availability
The study analyzed 63 work categories and found that 43 followed a pattern where activities common in ChatGPT use lost share on Upwork, while less common activities gained share. The remaining 20 work categories showed the reverse. The findings do not point to a simple substitution story, as AI-related work spanned a wider mix of activities and combined tasks in less familiar ways. The research is based on data from Upwork postings and ChatGPT usage, with the full report available for download.
