The professional network LinkedIn announced on Tuesday in New York that it is introducing new AI features to provide its users with better search results, easier posting options, and personalized messages. According to COO Dan Shapero, artificial intelligence is becoming an important tool for recruiters and job seekers.

Through the integration of generative AI into all its products, LinkedIn aims to further expand its user base and benefit from the weakness of the news service Twitter/X. The new features will be based on various AI models, particularly the text robot ChatGPT from Microsoft partner OpenAI.

Since LinkedIn has been fully owned by Microsoft since 2016, there is a direct line to the latest developments in AI technologies. The additional features are to be gradually integrated into existing subscriptions for professional users at no additional cost.

The new AI features will initially be used mostly by professional users such as recruiters, but ordinary users should also benefit in the future. According to Shapero, LinkedIn wants to help users be more productive and plans to use their abilities as a starting point for additional features. The platform is already experimenting with a tool in the US that helps with writing posts and plans to introduce a personalized chatbot for LinkedIn's e-learning offerings.

Although the new AI features offer many benefits to users, there are also concerns about data protection. Since LinkedIn has sensitive data on users' career paths and contacts, the question arises about the responsible use of AI on the platform. However, Shapero emphasizes that the protection of user data is of utmost priority for LinkedIn and that it is not used for the training of OpenAI's AI models.

In June, it was revealed that LinkedIn is suspected of violating European data protection regulations, and parent company Microsoft has already taken precautions. Despite LinkedIn's success over the last 20 years, the platform is facing slower growth in key markets.

In May, the company had to cut over 700 jobs and announce a partial withdrawal from China due to strong competition and a difficult macroeconomic environment. According to its own data, LinkedIn has 21 million members in the German-speaking area and sees Germany as an important market for the company.

In particular, the weakness of the domestic competitor platform Xing has contributed to LinkedIn's strong growth here.

The turbulence at Twitter/X due to Elon Musk's takeover has also proven to be an advantage for LinkedIn, as more and more users from politics, business, and media are focusing and becoming active on LinkedIn.

Shapero emphasizes that on LinkedIn, compared to competitors, a more professional, positive and constructive discourse takes place, which is also evidenced by an increase in knowledge posts, i.e., posts of general interest. With new AI features and a solid foundation as a professional network, LinkedIn could continue to be successful.