April 2, 2025 • 10 mins
How are AI and automation reshaping the workplace? Data shows that, for companies with a strategic approach, AI can improve key metrics like workforce engagement and satisfaction. In this episode of Work Week, Dr. Gabby Burlacu, Senior Manager at The Upwork Research Institute, explores how AI is transforming work by augmenting workflows, creating new job categories, and increasing demand for specialized talent. We also discuss ways for businesses to integrate AI effectively and we share a practical “Task Audit” strategy to help organizations identify automation opportunities without sidelining their workforce. If you’re a leader, freelancer, or professional curious about AI’s impact on jobs, this episode is for you. Tune in to learn how to adapt, upskill, and thrive in an AI-powered future.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Dr. Gabby Burlacu:
(00:01):
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. 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 10 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. The goal in part was to improve the customer experience by reducing their wait times when they reached out to customer support with common questions. The hope was that an AI feature could limit the need for human intervention, close tickets in a single interaction with the customer service department, and give the customers an experience that felt personalized. However, Maria's development team was overextended and lacked the specialized machine learning expertise to complete the project. At the same time, the idea of an AI driven app made her customer support staff worry they'd be replaced by chatbots. Both issues were 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. 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 of as much as 220% for freelancers with specialized skills like generative AI modeling and AI data annotation. 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 plus 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. 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 task 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.
Here's this week's reflection question (00:12):
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 in 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?"
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, follow the podcast or share it with a colleague who's grappling with similar challenges. 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.
Dr. Gabby Burlacu:
(00:01):
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. 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 10 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. The goal in part was to improve the customer experience by reducing their wait times when they reached out to customer support with common questions. The hope was that an AI feature could limit the need for human intervention, close tickets in a single interaction with the customer service department, and give the customers an experience that felt personalized. However, Maria's development team was overextended and lacked the specialized machine learning expertise to complete the project. At the same time, the idea of an AI driven app made her customer support staff worry they'd be replaced by chatbots. Both issues were 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. 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 of as much as 220% for freelancers with specialized skills like generative AI modeling and AI data annotation. 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 plus 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. 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 task 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.
Here's this week's reflection question (00:12):
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 in 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?"
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, follow the podcast or share it with a colleague who's grappling with similar challenges. 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.
Popular Podcasts
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy And Charlamagne Tha God!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Decisions, Decisions
Welcome to "Decisions, Decisions," the podcast where boundaries are pushed, and conversations get candid! Join your favorite hosts, Mandii B and WeezyWTF, as they dive deep into the world of non-traditional relationships and explore the often-taboo topics surrounding dating, sex, and love. Every Monday, Mandii and Weezy invite you to unlearn the outdated narratives dictated by traditional patriarchal norms. With a blend of humor, vulnerability, and authenticity, they share their personal journeys navigating their 30s, tackling the complexities of modern relationships, and engaging in thought-provoking discussions that challenge societal expectations. From groundbreaking interviews with diverse guests to relatable stories that resonate with your experiences, "Decisions, Decisions" is your go-to source for open dialogue about what it truly means to love and connect in today's world. Get ready to reshape your understanding of relationships and embrace the freedom of authentic connections—tune in and join the conversation!