Upwork Inc. Establishes Economic Advisory Council to Deepen Understanding of AI?s Impact on Work

Published: 2025-06-30 06:35:23 ET UPWK

Published on 06/30/2025 at 06:35

Upwork Inc. announced the formation of the Upwork Economic Advisory Council, a group of preeminent economists, scientists, and researchers who will provide strategic guidance to the company as it advances its human and AI-powered platform to better serve customers around the world in getting work done. As AI reshapes industries and workforces globally, the Upwork Economic Advisory Council will offer critical insight into the economic, social, and ethical implications of AI?s rapid integration into work and the workforce, ensuring Upwork?s innovations in the space are grounded in rigorous, real-world research. The Economic Advisory Council spans expertise across labor economics, marketplace design, organizational productivity, behavioral science, and technology.

Members include: Dr. Nicholas Bloom, professor of economics at Stanford University and senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR). Bloom?s research focuses on management practices, productivity measurement, and organizational behavior, with recent studies exploring the future of remote work and AI?s impact on workplace dynamics. Dr. John Horton, associate professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management and faculty research fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER).

Horton?s research focuses on information systems, market design, labor economics, organizational dynamics, and the effects of AI on labor markets. Dr. Kelly Monahan, managing director of the Upwork Research Institute. Monahan studies and writes on emerging technologies, workforce transformation, and the integration of non-traditional talent models like freelancing, with particular emphasis on human-centric approaches to AI adoption and organizational design.

Dr. Sendhil Mullainathan, professor in the Department of Economics and the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT. Mullainathan?s research applies machine learning to complex problems in human behavior, social policy, and medicine. Dr. Dewey Murdick, executive director of Georgetown University'sCenter for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET).

Murdick specializes in technology foresight, AI policy, and data science, with a focus on how emerging technologies reshape labor markets and societal structures. Dr. Andrew Rabinovich, VP of artificial intelligence and machine learning at Upwork. Rabinovich leads Upwork?s AI transformation strategy, drawing on over two decades of expertise in machine learning and computer vision.

Rabinovich?s research primarily focuses on computer vision, multimodal learning, and structured deep learning architectures. Dr. Melissa Valentine, associate professor of management science and engineering at Stanford University and senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI. Valentine?s research examines how AI and algorithmic systems transform collaboration, organizational design, and workforce structures.