Upwork Publishes Study on Generative AI Adoption

Upwork’s latest study uncovers how companies are adopting generative AI technologies. The company surveyed 1,400 US managers and senior leaders across various industries and published the key findings on its blog.

The study shows that generative AI is as an amplifier, rather than a replacement, to the current workforce. 49% of the business leaders polled said that they would hire more full-time employees in light of the advancements in generative AI.

The result is likely due to the need to quickly ramp up on new technologies and companies are bringing in new talent rather than solely trying to upskill in house. On the Upwork platform, for example, there has been a 600% increase in job postings related to generative AI between the last quarter of 2022 and the first quarter of 2023.

There is also a correlation between companies that embrace a remote workforce and adoption of generative AI technologies, with “68% of full-time remote companies say[ing] they are actively embracing generative AI,” compared to only 53% of in-office companies.

Upwork suggests this correlation might be due to a few factors, including the fact that companies who accept a fully remote workforce tend to be more innovative and have greater needs to find new ways to boost productivity in a remote environment.

The study also finds that mid-sized (500–5000 employees) companies are leading larger (5000+ employees) and smaller (250–500 employees) businesses in terms of generative AI technology adoption.

Finally, the study finds a divide between C-suite executives and the rest of the leadership layer when it comes to whether their companies are embracing generative AI technology. While nearly 75% of C-suite executives believe their company is adopting generative AI technologies, just over 50% of senior managers and directors agree. This would suggest that the operational layer has yet to fully accept these technologies and the impact they may have.

The study urges companies to “use generative AI to support their work in order to enable newfound productivity and creativity.” By embracing these recent changes, companies will be “less likely to see the disconnect we are seeing today.”