How Can AI Help Workers and Organizations Thrive?

What happens when AI takes the tedious, routine work off our plates? In this episode of Work Week, Dr. Kelly Monahan explores how AI is enabling worker potential—not by replacing jobs, but by removing repetitive tasks and enabling more strategic and creative work. Based on exclusive research from The Upwork Research Institute’s Future Workforce Index and real-life freelancer success stories, learn how leaders and teams can partner with AI to drive growth, efficiency, and innovation. Whether you’re a business leader or independent professional, this episode will help understand how AI helps maximize human brilliance.

Episode Transcript

(00:04):
- Hello and welcome to "Work Week,"
the podcast where wediscuss one big question
about the rapidly evolving workplace,
explore relevant research about the topic
and explain what it all means for you.
I'm Dr. Kelly Monahan, managing director
at the Upwork Research Institute.
What you're hearing is adigital proxy of my voice
created by our team with the help of AI.

(00:25):
This week, we're answering a question
organizations need toconsider as they continue
to integrate AI across business functions.
How does AI help workersmaximize potential?
Behind this question lies a deeper shift
that the Upwork ResearchInstitute has been tracking,
the emerging partnershipsbetween workers and AI.

(00:46):
It's not about humans versus machines,
it's about humanscollaborating with machines,
forming partnerships inwhich AI takes on the burdens
of mundane tasks and enableshuman potential to flourish.
Let's start with the pain point.
Workers are overwhelmed.
In a report we distributed in 2024,

(01:06):
71% of the full-time workers we surveyed
reported feeling burned out.
Repetitive tasks, bloated workflows,
and sheer information overload
created an uncomfortablelevel of cognitive noise.
Much of this kind ofwork, not the entire job
but the busy work that leadsto feelings of overwhelm
and futility, can be madebetter with the help of AI.

(01:30):
The right tools can automatemany repetitive tasks,
can streamline bloated workflows,
and can summarize long reports
for just a few examplesof AI's capability.
What does this clear the way for?
Time, mental energy, focus.
When AI removes mundane orrepetitive responsibilities,
workers can reallocate their time

(01:51):
towards strategicthinking, problem solving,
and innovation, the things that make work
meaningful and valuable.
In other words, when used effectively,
AI handles the tedium sothat people can thrive.
And as we've mentionedin previous episodes,
our research shows thatskilled freelancers
are among those using AI tools

(02:13):
the most intentionally and effectively.
Our Future Workforce Indexreport found that 54%
of skilled freelancers reported advanced
or expert level skills inusing AI tools for work
compared to only 38%
of their full-time employee counterparts.
The research which included insights
from 3,000 skilledUS-based knowledge workers

(02:36):
also found that 62% of skilled freelancers
reported using AI toolsseveral times per week
versus 53% of full-time employees.
These workers aren't just experimenting,
they're integrating AIinto their daily flow,
and it's making a difference.

(02:56):
Our research reportfrom tools to teammates
navigating the human-AI relationship
found that 88% of freelancers
said AI has positivelyimpacted their careers.
The report featured insightsfrom 2,500 global workers,
including 1,250 C-suite executives,
625 full-time salariedemployees, and 625 freelancers.

(03:21):
Freelancers are leading thetransformation by using AI
to reach their full potential,advance their careers,
and better serve their clients.
Why?
Because the nature of freelancework demands efficiency,
adaptability, and deep specialization.
AI offers a competitiveedge in all of these areas.
Let's look at a couple of examples

(03:41):
of real-world success stories.
Richard Alexander is an AIand deep learning expert
and among the top 1% offreelancers on Upwork.
He exemplifies how AI
can help enable humanpotential and brilliance.
He uses custom neuralnetworks and deep learning
to streamline complex tasks for clients.

(04:02):
For example, Richardpartnered with a lawyer
to organize a largefile of legal documents
into a more readable, searchable format.
Categorizing the documentsusing deep learning
and neural networks enables the client
to save a significant amount of time
searching for specificinformation across documents.
While Richard believesAI and neural networks

(04:23):
saves significant time and money
by reducing man hoursspent on manual tasks,
he also emphasizes theimportance of human expertise
with AI projects.
Richard shared, "Nointelligence is artificial."
What this means is any intelligence
that we provide to a machine is infused
with some subset of our intelligence.

(04:43):
We as individuals have amassive role to play in AI
because we create it.
There's no AI without somebody to make AI.
And Richard is far from alonein finding success with AI.
Another exemplar, Marcus Grim,
is a marketing automation and AI expert
who has increased his overall productivity

(05:05):
by 30 to 40% on average.
This enables him topartner with more clients
and increase his income
without working significantly more hours.
Marcus uses AI to conductmarketing research
that helps him better understandclients' current efforts
and identify areas for improvement.
He also uses AI tools to quickly develop

(05:26):
initial outline drafts for clients
and analyze theirmonthly business results.
While Marcus recognizes the benefits of AI
to automate time consumingand routine tasks,
he also understands the importance
of human input and strategic thinking.
He shared his belief that humanexpertise, rather than AI,
should be used for finaldrafts in most cases.

(05:49):
He also pointed out thatpeople shouldn't expect AI
to completely automate work,but that even a 10% lift
in productivity goes a long way.
Marcus also shared thatAI can help workers
deliver more value in their roles,
which can benefitfreelancers serving clients,
in-house workers deliveringbusiness outcomes,

(06:09):
and organizations needinga competitive edge.
These stories point to a broader truth.
Freelancers who embrace AI
are becoming indispensable growth partners
for the businesses they serve.
These success storiesshow how AI is maximizing
rather than replacingbrilliance and potential,
but only when work systemsare designed intentionally.

(06:32):
Because the reality isthat in the midst of all
of these silver linings,the dark cloud of anxiety
still looms large.
A survey of 38,000 workingadults distributed by ADP
found that more than 30% of respondents
are afraid that AI will replace their job.
And while this concern isn't baseless,

(06:55):
it overlooks the real opportunity
businesses and individuals have
to increase their potential using AI.
AI excels at speed, scaleand certain kinds of logic,
but it lacks empathy, judgment,
and creativity and context,
the very attributesthat define human work.
Think of it this way.
AI can generate a draft,but humans refine it.

(07:18):
AI can analyze data, buthumans decide what it means
and how the data impacttheir business or client.
AI can automate tasks,but humans innovate.
The real risk isn't thatAI will replace people.
It's that organizations will fail
to equip people to work alongside AI.
This is where leaders need to step up.

(07:39):
Training, upskilling and culturebuilding are not optional.
They're essential.
As our research shows,freelancers are already designing
new work systems where AIamplifies their efforts.
But for full-time teams to catch up,
leaders need to take a similarapproach to freelancers
when it comes to AI andembrace a mindset shift

(08:00):
from automation to augmentation.
So, what should leaderstake away from all this?
First, think in terms of potential,
not just productivity.
Instead of asking, whattasks can our team automate,
ask, what potential can theteam reach by automating tasks?
For example, automatingcustomer support FAQs with AI

(08:23):
can free up your customer service team
to handle more complex,emotionally nuanced inquiries.
This shift can enable the team
to build strongerrelationships with clients
and identify strategic feedback loops
for product improvement.
Second, rethink job descriptions.
Break down roles into component tasks
and look for areas in whichAI can remove friction

(08:46):
so team members can focusless on repetitive tasks
and more on innovation and creativity.
Consider the role of a project manager,
which involves scheduling,tracking deliverables,
aligning stakeholders,and facilitating meetings.
AI can automate meeting summaries
and generate project status dashboards,
freeing the manager tofocus on team dynamics,

(09:08):
conflict resolution, andforward-looking strategy.
Third, engage freelancers strategically.
Many freelancers alreadyhave deep AI skills.
Bring them in to address skills gaps,
train and upskill teams in AI tools
and advise on integration.
As an example, engage afreelance prompt engineer
to develop tailored AI toolsfor your marketing team,

(09:31):
or train your team ondeveloping their own tools.
Finally, create space forlearning and experimentation,
encourage teams to pilot AI tools,
offer structured training on AI solutions,
create a safe environmentto try fail and learn.
Consider setting aside timefor an organized challenge
or competition to encourageteam members to experiment

(09:52):
with AI tools and sharetheir success stories
and best practices.
As we found in the Future Workforce Index,
84% of skilled freelancersare excited about how AI
can reshape their services,offerings and workflows.
By encouraging internal team members
to show a similar level ofenthusiasm for AI tools,

(10:13):
you can position your businessto reach its full potential.
Here's the big idea.
AI, when paired with humanstrategy and freelance agility,
creates an adaptive andresilient workforce.
This is how organizations'future-proof work,
not by resisting change,but by designing systems
that center on human brilliancesupported by smart tools.

(10:41):
I wanna wrap up this week'sepisode as I always do
by sharing an actionyou can take immediately
to address the challenge at hand,
as well as a reflectionquestion to consider.
For your action this week,
pick one repetitive task you do regularly,
summarizing meetingnotes, pulling reports,
or organizing data, for example.

(11:02):
use an AI tool to handle the task.
Then ask yourself,
what could I do with thetime I just got back?
Multiply this potential across your team,
then across your organization.
The results won't simply drive efficiency.
They'll increase innovation,strategic thinking,
creativity, agility, and human brilliance.

(11:24):
And now for this week'sreflection question,
what would your work look like
if AI took on 30% of your routine tasks?
Would you spend more timebuilding client relationships,
have more mental energy to brainstorm
new products or services,
free up time to focuson mentoring your team?
Use this vision to guide yournext steps as you continue

(11:45):
to integrate AI into yourbusiness or your day-to-day work.
And that's it for thisepisode of "Work Week."
Thank you for tuning in.
I'm Kelly Monahan, and if thisepisode resonated with you
or sparked new ideas,share it with a colleague
or leave a review.