Upwork Evolves Uma AI into AI Work Agent, Advances Human-AI Collaboration Across Hiring and Work Management

Rhea-AI Summary

Upwork (NASDAQ:UPWK) has announced major enhancements to its AI-powered work marketplace platform in its Summer 2025 release, featuring over 75 new innovations. The centerpiece is the evolution of Uma, Upwork's Mindful AI, into a more capable work agent that now powers the majority of new client job posts and has increased successful matches for high-value projects by 8%.

Key features include instant AI-powered interviews, integrated video meetings with AI-generated summaries, context-aware search suggestions, and an improved job posting experience. The company has also enhanced its premium plans: Business Plus now includes direct contracts management, while Freelancer Plus offers real-time proposal insights and customizable job alerts.

Positive

• Uma AI has increased successful matches for high-value projects by 8%
• Platform now powers majority of new client job posts through AI integration
• New instant interview feature reduces manual review time and accelerates hiring process
• Enhanced premium plans offer expanded functionality for both businesses and freelancers

Negative

• None.

Insights

Technology Product Analyst

Upwork's Uma AI evolution into a work agent with 75+ new features represents a strategic platform enhancement that could drive stronger client-freelancer matching and operational efficiency.

Upwork's evolution of Uma AI from companion to work agent represents a significant platform enhancement with potential to transform how businesses and freelancers interact on the marketplace. The AI now conducts instant interviews for clients, saving screening time while improving matching quality by an impressive 8% for high-value projects. This functionality addresses a critical friction point in the freelance hiring process.

The introduction of integrated video meetings with AI-generated summaries and action items tackles collaboration challenges in remote work environments, potentially increasing user retention by streamlining post-meeting workflows. Meanwhile, the context-aware search functionality leverages Upwork's vast interaction data to create more personalized talent recommendations.

The premium plan enhancements reveal Upwork's strategic direction toward capturing more revenue streams. The Business Plus plan's new ability to manage off-platform talent through direct contracts is particularly notable - this addresses a common workaround where businesses find talent on Upwork but then take relationships off-platform to avoid fees. By bringing these relationships into their ecosystem, Upwork could potentially reduce leakage and increase revenue per client.

For freelancers, the shift from basic bid visibility to real-time proposal insights in Freelancer Plus aims to increase conversion rates on job applications, which could boost marketplace liquidity. This approach of enhancing premium tiers on both sides of the marketplace appears designed to drive subscription revenue while simultaneously improving matching efficiency.

Upwork Updates Summer 2025 release unveils 75+ new innovations built to drive better work outcomes and create opportunity for businesses and freelancers in the age of AI

PALO ALTO, Calif., July 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Upwork Inc. (Nasdaq: UPWK), the world’s human and AI-powered work marketplace, today announced a suite of new AI-driven products and features as part of its semi-annual release, Upwork Updates. With companies increasingly turning to Upwork for AI solutions and AI-literate, expert talent on-demand, these latest innovations are designed to amplify human ingenuity—combining skilled talent and AI to create smarter, faster, and easier ways to work.

Hiring and Collaborating Confidently with Uma, Upwork’s Mindful AI

Upwork Updates Summer 2025 is led by major advancements to Uma, Upwork’s Mindful AI, which is evolving from a work companion to a more capable, always-on work agent. Uma is already delivering real results by powering a majority of new client job posts, increasing successful matches for high-value projects by 8%, while helping freelancers find more opportunities to earn. Now, Uma takes action on behalf of businesses and freelancers, eliminating tedious tasks to accelerate hiring, collaboration, and work outcomes.

Instant interviews lead Uma’s new wave of capabilities. Clients can now equip Uma with their preferred interview questions. Uma conducts the interviews during the proposal process and delivers structured summaries of each freelancer’s responses while highlighting how they may align with the role and client needs. Instant interviews save businesses time by cutting down on manual reviews and screening calls, while delivering tailored insights that lead to faster, better hiring decisions. For freelancers, instant interviews mean finding work faster, interviewing when it works for them, and showcasing skills that cover letters can’t fully capture, like communication skills, language fluency, problem-solving, and domain expertise.

Other AI-powered release highlights include:

• Upwork video meetings, integrated right into the Upwork messaging platform, provide AI-generated summaries, transcripts, recordings and action items to businesses and freelancers after every virtual meeting, boosting productivity, clarity, and collaboration.
• Uma-powered search, built on millions of relevant interactions across the Upwork platform, now offers context-aware suggestions based on a client’s active job posts and search history, helping them find the right information and talent faster.
• A reimagined job posting experience instantly assesses the strength of a post and provides actionable tips to clients to improve their chance of finding the right hire.
  
  

“Work is being reshaped in real time as intelligent agents are becoming a more familiar and essential part of how work gets done,” said Dave Bottoms, general manager and SVP of product for the Upwork Marketplace. “With Uma, we’re unlocking a new era where agentic AI amplifies human brilliance to drive the next wave of opportunity, efficiency, and impact.”

Enhanced Premium Plans to Accelerate Matching and Hiring

Upwork is enhancing its premium membership plans—Business Plus and Freelancer Plus—to give both sides of the marketplace a powerful edge with faster hiring, smarter tools, and greater confidence in finding and executing work.

• Business Plus now includes direct contracts, letting businesses seamlessly invite, manage, and securely pay talent sourced beyond the Upwork platform alongside talent found on Upwork. Clients can hire faster with AI-curated shortlisting of top freelancers and proposals matched to their job.
• Freelancer Plus replaces basic bid visibility with real-time proposal insights to give freelancers more information about job opportunities, helping them adjust their strategies, focus on the right clients, and find new projects. Freelancers can set up customizable job alerts to receive immediate notifications for opportunities that match their skills and interests, and be the first to apply.

“At Keiser, speed and efficiency matter—not just in the training equipment we build, but in how we operate as a business. Upwork Business Plus has become a valuable part of our workflow,” said Matt Klein, digital director at Keiser Corporation, a client on Upwork. “Business Plus has helped us work more efficiently and find the kind of talent that’s hard to reach through traditional channels.”

Explore all the Upwork Updates Summer 2025 innovations: www.upwork.com/updates/summer-2025.

About Upwork

Upwork is the world’s human and AI-powered work marketplace that connects businesses with highly skilled, AI-enabled independent talent from across the globe. From entrepreneurs to Fortune 100 enterprises, companies rely on Upwork’s trusted platform and its mindful AI companion, Uma, to find and hire expert talent, leverage AI-powered work solutions, and drive business transformation. With on-demand access to professionals spanning more than 10,000 skills across AI & machine learning, software development, sales & marketing, customer support, finance & accounting, and more, Upwork enables businesses of all sizes to scale, innovate, and build agile teams for the age of AI and beyond.

Upwork’s platform has facilitated more than $25 billion in economic opportunity for talent around the world. Learn more at upwork.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X.

Contact:
Zach Moses
press@upwork.com

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:
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FAQ

What are the main features of Upwork's Summer 2025 Updates?

The main features include Uma AI work agent, instant AI-powered interviews, integrated video meetings with AI summaries, context-aware search, and enhanced premium plans for both businesses and freelancers.

How has Upwork's Uma AI improved project matching?

Uma AI has increased successful matches for high-value projects by 8% and now powers the majority of new client job posts on the platform.

What new features are included in Upwork's Business Plus plan?

Business Plus now includes direct contracts management, AI-curated shortlisting of top freelancers, and the ability to manage talent sourced both on and off the Upwork platform.

What benefits does Upwork's new instant interview feature provide?

The instant interview feature allows automated screening with customized questions, provides structured summaries of freelancer responses, and helps businesses make faster hiring decisions while allowing freelancers to showcase their skills more effectively.

How has Upwork enhanced its Freelancer Plus membership?

Freelancer Plus now offers real-time proposal insights, customizable job alerts for matching opportunities, and improved visibility into job opportunities to help freelancers adjust their strategies.