PALO ALTO, Calif., April 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Upwork Inc. (NASDAQ:UPWK), the world's human and AI-powered work marketplace, today announced the launch of an Upwork app within ChatGPT that allows businesses to describe their project needs, discover relevant talent, and draft job posts. They are then guided to the Upwork Marketplace, where Uma™, Upwork's AI work agent, helps them scope projects, generate contracts, and begin work, streamlining the path from AI conversation to getting work done.

With the Upwork experience directly integrated within ChatGPT, users—from solopreneurs building ambitious companies to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) managing growing teams and complex workloads—can find and hire expert independent talent, drawing from the more than 18 million professionals, 130 categories of work, and 10,000 skills on Upwork's global marketplace.

"Human expertise paired with AI is transforming work, and this integration brings the Upwork Marketplace directly into one of the tools millions of people use to get work started," said Peter Sanborn, chief business officer at Upwork Inc. "You can now quickly progress from an idea in ChatGPT to hiring the right expert on Upwork in just a few steps, turning conversations into real work outcomes."

According to Upwork research, 94% of business leaders say their organizations now mandate or encourage the use of AI tools.¹ With teams turning to AI platforms as a primary place to brainstorm and initiate work, they can now find the right expertise and draft a job post in ChatGPT before moving to Upwork's trusted platform to scope and execute projects, ensure compliance, and facilitate payments. Users can start with prompts like:

"@Upwork I need to find an expert to lead an AI integration for my business."
"@Upwork Find a developer to build an AI customer support assistant that can answer questions, route tickets, and reduce response times."
"@Upwork Help me draft a job post to automate workflows like CRM updates, lead routing, meeting summaries, and follow-up emails."

"For many people, ChatGPT is where you can explore ideas, solve problems, and move work forward," said Chaya Nayak, head of jobs & certification product at OpenAI. "We're excited to partner with Upwork and make it easier for anyone to build a business—connecting them with the talent they need, on the platforms they use every day."

This integration builds on Upwork and OpenAI's previously announced partnership to provide professionals on the Upwork Marketplace with access to AI skills training and certifications, helping them apply in-demand skills to client work.

All ChatGPT users can get started by connecting the new Upwork app in ChatGPT. Learn more here: upwork.com/chatgptapp-support. Additional enhancements to the app, including project scoping and work delivery capabilities, are planned for later this year.

About Upwork

Upwork Inc.'s (NASDAQ:UPWK) family of companies connects businesses with global, AI-enabled talent across every contingent work type including freelance, fractional, and payrolled. This portfolio includes the Upwork Marketplace, which connects businesses with on-demand access to highly skilled talent across the globe, and Lifted, which provides a purpose-built solution for enterprise organizations to source, contract, manage, and pay talent across the full spectrum of contingent work. From Fortune 100 enterprises to entrepreneurs, businesses rely on Upwork Inc. to find and hire expert talent, leverage AI-powered work solutions, and drive business transformation. With access to professionals spanning more than 10,000 skills across AI & machine learning, software development, sales & marketing, customer support, finance & accounting, and more, the Upwork family of companies enables businesses of all sizes to scale, innovate, and transform their workforces for the age of AI and beyond.

Since its founding, Upwork Inc. has facilitated more than $30 billion in total transactions and services as it fulfills its purpose to create opportunity in every era of work. Learn more about the Upwork Marketplace at upwork.com and follow on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X; learn more about Lifted at go-lifted.com and follow on LinkedIn.

Contact:

Aaron Motsinger

press@upwork.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d7ce0ced-0b9e-4227-8882-84817ca5d847

^¹ Survey of 750 U.S.-based executives fielded by the Upwork Research Institute in February-March 2026.

Upwork's Work Marketplace Comes to ChatGPT