LinkedIn has initiated a test phase for an AI assistant exclusive to its Premium members. This new tool, which harnesses Microsoft’s AI technology, invites users to interact with an AI assistant to explore details about specific companies or topics.
This rollout marks LinkedIn’s first substantial AI venture aimed at the consumer market rather than its enterprise clientele, such as recruiters. This development places LinkedIn alongside other social platforms like Snapchat and Instagram, which introduced similar AI-assisted features last year.
Previously, LinkedIn launched a suite of AI tools targeted at recruiters and job seekers, including AI-assisted candidate discovery and an AI-based coaching tool. The consumer-facing AI assistant was previewed last year but has only recently been made available more widely to Premium subscribers.
The AI assistant operates within the LinkedIn feed, offering prompts that encourage users to delve deeper into information about companies or topics mentioned in posts. This feature, referred to by a company spokesperson as “knowledge insights,” draws on a combination of publicly shared user insights and data from Microsoft’s Bing search engine.
When a user engages with one of these prompts, they are directed to a chat box where further inquiries can be made directly to LinkedIn’s AI assistant. The chat interface cautions users that “This AI feature is in beta and may make mistakes. Microsoft privacy policy may apply to your input.” Additionally, responses from the AI are marked as “Powered by Bing,” indicating their origin.
According to the spokesperson, the AI’s responses are tailored to each user’s individual skills and experiences, and the preliminary results of this test have been promising. This initiative is part of a broader strategy to introduce more AI-driven features, which LinkedIn hopes will enrich the professional engagement of its users by providing enhanced content and insights to advance their careers.
