Not taking the bait: LinkedIn’s AI writing tool flops as professionals fear reputation damage

LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky revealed that the platform’s AI-powered writing assistant for posts has proven less popular than expected, attributing the lukewarm reception to users’ concerns about maintaining their professional reputation. The insight highlights how career-focused social platforms face unique challenges in AI adoption, as professionals prioritize authentic content over AI-generated efficiency when their reputation is at stake.

What they’re saying: Roslansky explained the tool’s limited appeal during a Bloomberg interview, emphasizing the professional stakes involved.

• “We have an ability where you write a post on LinkedIn,” Roslansky said. “We are not going to write it for you from scratch, but if you’re like, ‘Hey, help me make this sound better,’ you can push a button and we can give you some suggestions. It’s not as popular as I thought it would be, quite frankly.”
• “This is your professional reputation in general, which means that people are less likely to share anything on LinkedIn than they are somewhere else because the barrier is much higher. Oftentimes, when something comes across as being very AI-obvious on the platform, the rest of the community will call you out.”

Why this matters: The platform’s professional context creates a higher bar for content authenticity compared to other social media platforms.

• Roslansky believes users are more comfortable sharing AI-generated content on platforms like TikTok or X, where career implications are minimal.
• LinkedIn users actively monitor for AI-generated content and will call out obvious artificial assistance, creating social pressure for authentic posting.
• “People are watching the community and if they are using AI tools, they’re going back and making sure that it feels like there’s a human, authentic touch on top of it.”

The big picture: Despite lukewarm reception for content generation, AI skills are becoming increasingly valuable on the platform itself.

• Job advertisements mentioning AI as a required skill have increased sixfold over the past year.
• LinkedIn users are now listing “AI” as a skill 20 times more frequently than they did a year ago.
• The trend reflects growing employer demand for AI literacy across various industries and roles.

What you should know: LinkedIn’s parent company Microsoft recently conducted significant layoffs, though the CEO clarified these weren’t AI-related.

• Microsoft, which owns LinkedIn, laid off over 6,000 workers in May, with AI cited as a major factor in some role eliminations.
• Some LinkedIn positions were cut during this wave, but Roslansky confirmed none of the decisions were specifically due to AI innovations.
• Microsoft is rumored to be planning additional job cuts in July, likely targeting the sales team.