Platform economy database
Database of initiatives and court cases in the EU
Eurofound’s platform economy database provides information on 443 initiatives and court cases that exist or have been implemented in relation to activities in the platform economy. The database was last updated in November 2025 and provides metadata for each entry, such as geographical scope, year, type of initiative, actors involved, sector and companies concerned. Initiatives include legal instruments such as legislative changes or court decisions, as well as voluntary interventions undertaken by different stakeholders to address issues around platform work.
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The database currently contains 443 entries and was last updated in November 2025.
In July 2025, Upwork announced the evolution of its AI assistant, Uma (Upwork's Mindful AI), from a simple chatbot to an "AI work agent" integrated into the platform. Its goal is to speed up the hiring process and assist with tasks for both clients and workers. For clients, it generates job posts, conducts instant interviews, produces structured summaries, reviews proposals, and summarises video meetings. For workers, it assists with drafting proposals and general tasks. Access is tiered: the Basic plan offers limited weekly queries, while Freelancer Plus provides unlimited use.
Upwork claims Uma speeds up hiring and improves match rates, but many users say it feels generic and lacks real insight because it doesn’t use live platform data. Research from Upwork’s own institute concludes that AI agents like Uma still struggle with real tasks and need strong human oversight, meaning Uma can speed up routine steps but cannot replace human oversight.
Alongside its AI push, Upwork clarified and strengthened its platform rules on communication and the use of AI in an update to its legal Terms of Service (TOS), effective 10 September 2025. These rules are global and apply to all users, including those in Europe.
While Upwork did not issue a press release for this legal update, the platform's official support pages confirm the policies:
Upwork Support: Understand Upwork Terms of Service
Upwork also introduced new rules on the use of generative AI. The update did not ban generative AI. Instead, it placed the responsibility on the worker to use it ethically and transparently.
The new terms specified that workers must not misrepresent their work by using generative AI. This means a worker cannot pass off AI-generated content as their own original work, particularly if:
The client has explicitly prohibited the use of AI in the contract.
The AI-generated content infringes on a third party's rights (such as copyright).
This policy was part of a broader update that also included rules against academic ghost-writing and producing misleading "deep fakes".
The platform economy is one of those moving targets, which, despite receiving increasing media and policy attention, has proven difficult to regulate. Given the heterogeneity of employment relationships, business models, types of platform work and cross-border issues, this is not surprising.
Technological change is accelerating as the capacity of electronic devices to digitally store, process and communicate information expands. Digitalisation is transforming the EU economy and labour markets: nearly one-third of EU workplaces are categorised as highly digitalised. What are the implications of the digital revolution for employment and work?
The rapid rise of the platform economy has led to a marked transformation of European labour markets, and existing regulatory frameworks and voluntary initiatives have yet to catch up. While platform work offers opportunities for workers and employers and potentially contributes to innovation, economic growth and competitiveness in the EU, it has been criticised from the beginning because of the poor employment and working conditions often experienced by workers.
While 2020 may come to be seen as the year platform work gathered pace and started to go mainstream – thanks in large part to COVID-19 containment measures sparking an increase in food and grocery delivery – 2021 could be the year that regulation of platform work is set in motion.
Non-EU
EU 27