Upwork’s Strategic Embrace of AI Could Push the Stock to $25, According to Experts!

Fiverr: AI Matching & “Creator” Tools: Upwork’s closest marketplace rival, Fiverr, is also pursuing an AI-centric strategy – albeit with a different flavor. Historically, Fiverr’s model is to offer pre-packaged “gigs” for quick, fixed-price tasks (logo design, voiceovers, etc.). To improve matching on its platform, Fiverr introduced “Fiverr Neo,” a new AI-driven talent-matching engine that uses generative AI (large language models) to better understand client requests and recommend the ideal freelancer. Fiverr Neo gives the platform a more conversational, intelligent search interface (allowing natural language queries) and aims to streamline how businesses find freelancers. At the same time, Fiverr has expanded its marketplace categories to capture the AI services boom – for example, launching dedicated sections for AI services (chatbot development, generative art, AI content editing, etc.). In early 2025, Fiverr went a step further by debuting “Fiverr Go,” a suite of personalized generative AI tools for freelancers. Fiverr Go allows creators to train their own AI “co-pilot” on their body of work, effectively creating a custom AI assistant that learns a freelancer’s style and helps multiply their output For example, a top-rated illustrator or writer on Fiverr can use Fiverr Go to produce drafts or creative content in their signature style, drastically improving productivity without sacrificing quality. Fiverr’s marketing emphasizes that this approach keeps “the artist first” – the AI acts as a collaborator under the freelancer’s control, rather than a replacement. (The launch campaign even featured actor Brett Gelman in a comedic ad illustrating how freelancers can “train” an AI colleague to mimic their creative process). Initially limited to vetted top freelancers, Fiverr Go has added features like watermarking, voiceover licensing, and scheduling assistants, and plans to expand into more categories. In short, Fiverr’s positioning is to be an “AI-first” platform on both sides: using AI to match clients faster (through Neo) and empower freelancers to increase capacity (through Go), all while catering heavily to the booming demand for AI-related projects. This strategy aligns with Fiverr’s focus on quick-turnaround gigs and creative services – AI helps speed up delivery and handle more volume, which is key for Fiverr’s mostly SMB and entrepreneur clientele.