Freelancers Using AI Tools Earn 40% More Per Hour Than Peers, Study Says

Upwork data reveals that freelancers utilizing AI tools are earning substantially more than those who don't, with a 25% year-over-year increase in AI-related earnings and hourly rates exceeding those of non-AI users by over 40%. This increase is driven by AI augmentation, where freelancers use AI to enhance their work, rather than replacing jobs entirely. The study analyzed millions of job postings across various categories, showing AI's impact on both creating new work and automating simpler tasks. Freelancers with coding skills, especially, have seen an 11% salary increase since ChatGPT's launch, highlighting AI's influence on the freelance market.