(Reuters) – LinkedIn announced on Tuesday that it will be integrating artificial intelligence (AI) features into its core businesses. This will enable recruiters to easily find job candidates by asking questions in natural language, while also allowing marketing professionals to create ad campaigns with just a few clicks.
The social network, which is owned by Microsoft and caters to business professionals, has been collaborating with OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT that has received investments from Microsoft, to develop these features.
With over 950 million members, the majority of whom do not pay for the service, LinkedIn’s main revenue streams come from charging recruiters, marketing professionals, and sales professionals for access to its extensive database.
Traditionally, these customers have had to search LinkedIn’s database using data filters, keywords, and other search engine techniques. This required translating natural queries such as “I want to hire a software developer with 10 years of experience in Minneapolis” into language that LinkedIn’s database could understand.
However, with the introduction of AI, recruiters can now pose the same query naturally, and the computer will respond with follow-up questions. For instance, it may ask if the recruiter is interested in qualified applicants in another city where the company also has offices, or if they are open to candidates whose job titles do not exactly match but possess similar skills.
Ryan Roslansky, the CEO of LinkedIn, stated that the aim is to prioritize hiring individuals whose skills align with the job requirements, regardless of their job title or educational background. He believes that solely focusing on Ivy League education or experience at prestigious companies like Google narrows down the pool of potential candidates. By emphasizing the necessary skills for effective job performance, there are tens of thousands of candidates available. Roslansky said, “You can’t just look at job titles.”
LinkedIn is also introducing similar tools for sales professionals in their search for prospects. Additionally, they are launching a tool that uses AI to analyze a company’s website and create marketing campaigns for business-to-business products and services. These campaigns will then run on LinkedIn’s site.
The company, which generated over $15 billion in revenue in the previous year, does not plan to charge extra for these new features.
Furthermore, some of these features will automate certain tasks for users. Roslansky acknowledged that the majority of professionals will find their roles augmented by AI, necessitating some adaptation.
(Reporting by Stephen Nellis in San Francisco; Editing by Stephen Coates)
Credit: The Star : Tech Feed
