Upwork Human+Agent Productivity Index Reveals Up to 70% Boost in Work Completion from Human and AI Agent Collaboration vs. Agents Working Alone
New index measures impact of human-in-the-loop (HITL) collaboration, showing where humans and agents can work together to do better work faster
PALO ALTO, Calif., Nov. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- (Nasdaq: UPWK), the world’s human and AI-powered work marketplace, today announced initial findings from its new , the industry’s first data-driven evaluation of how human expertise amplifies AI agent performance in real knowledge work.
HAPI measures the value of humans-in-the-loop (HITL) across more than 300 real client projects completed on Upwork, intentionally selected for being simple, well-defined, low-complexity projects where AI agents have a reasonable chance of success. These types of simple jobs represent less than 6% of Upwork’s total gross services volume (GSV) and a fraction of freelance and contingent work more broadly. The research found that human and agent collaboration increased project completion rates by up to 70% compared to agents operating alone.
Unlike other AI agent evaluations that rely on fixed or synthetic datasets, HAPI is built on actual client projects from Upwork. And while AI agents are typically tested in isolation or narrow simulations, HAPI studies how collaboration and creativity from human professionals elevate agent outcomes in real-world contexts.
“In our Human+Agent Productivity Index, agents struggle to complete simple real-world projects on their own,” said Andrew Rabinovich, chief technology officer and head of AI & machine learning at Upwork. “However, when paired with expert human professionals, project completion rates improve dramatically, supporting our firm belief that the future of work will be defined by humans and AI collaborating to get more work done, with human intuition and domain expertise playing a critical role.”
Upwork will present full HAPI results at a NeurIPS workshop this year. For more on the Human+Agent Productivity Index and its methodology: .
About Upwork Inc.
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 and follow on , , , , and ; learn more about Lifted at and follow on .
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