A recent report revealed that LinkedIn silently removed AI prompts displayed to its Premium users.
This is in the wake of the growing concerns surrounding the use of user data for training AI models by the professional network platform. The increasing pressure from users on the platform regarding AI suggestions being too obtrusive is another reason for this rollback.
LinkedIn AI prompts were introduced in November 2023 to enable users to leverage its AI capabilities, including job search insights, networking tips, and more. There is a sparkling golden icon marking these prompts. These also encourage asking related career questions from the AI in real time.
However, According to a Fast Company report, these prompts have silently disappeared from their feeds.
LinkedIn spokesperson Suzi Owens confirmed that such a reduction occurred but explained that this was not an attempt to respond to user dissatisfaction. "Members can still access our AI-powered tools for personalized insights on the jobs home page, but we're refining how we present these features," Owens explained.
The question of why LinkedIn quietly rolled its AI features back at a time when data privacy concerns were circulating the company.
Early this year, LinkedIn and its use of AI faced widespread criticism. The firm was using public LinkedIn profiles in countries like India to train its AI models without user consent. Read more
There was outrage among users after they found that the data collection opt-out setting was hidden on the platform. This was as users felt done deliberately by the firm to continue the unauthorized use of data.
This transparency issue left most users puzzled over the company's strategy in the AI development process.
For many users, the AI suggestions cluttered their feeds and gave little value. The prompts appeared below almost every post, often overwhelming users rather than enriching their experience.
"The prompts were everywhere, and they didn't seem personalized to my needs," said one LinkedIn Premium user.
"I'm glad they've dialed it back, but I hope they'll focus on making the AI more user-friendly," said another LinkedIn Premium user.
LinkedIn is not eliminating AI technology, though visible prompts are decidedly diminished. The AI features, specifically job recommendations based on a user's interests and networking insights, are fully deployed.
Meanwhile, LinkedIn's leadership has reassured its commitment to updating the user experiences of the platform through AI but with a new approach.
This may be a step in the broader plan of the company to dilute increasing privacy concerns while maintaining innovation.
The future of AI looks bright making it important for each company to adopt and stay on top of the ever-changing AI trends. Thus, it would be LinkedIn's openness and user-centering approach that will help it earn its users' trust in the long run.