LinkedIn has rolled out an artificial intelligence-powered people search feature for its premium users in the United States, expanding its application of AI beyond previous platform enhancements. This development allows users to utilize natural language queries to locate professional connections, building on the company's prior introduction of AI job search tools for U.S. members earlier this year.
The social networking platform has been integrating AI across various functionalities over the past two years, including advertising copy, content generation, personalized digests, hiring assistance, and learning tools. The addition of AI to its core search mechanism represents a significant expansion of this strategy.
The new people search functionality enables queries such as "Find me investors in the healthcare sector with FDA experience" or "Who in my network can help me understand wireless networks." This capability aims to streamline the process of discovering relevant professionals compared to LinkedIn's traditional filter-based search system. Rohan Rajiv, senior director of product management at LinkedIn, stated in an interview with TechCrunch that the new AI-powered search is designed to be "the fastest path to the person who can help you the most," addressing the complexities associated with lexical search and filter combinations.
According to the company, early testing indicated that users leveraged the tool to identify individuals who could assist with career opportunities, business expansion, or professional advancement. The initial rollout is limited to U.S. premium users, with plans for subsequent expansion to other geographic regions. Users with access to the feature will observe the prompt "I'm looking for…" in their search bar.
This move by LinkedIn aligns with a broader industry trend among internet platforms to incorporate AI into search capabilities, a response to the growing user engagement with AI-powered chatbots like ChatGPT. Companies such as Google, Bing, and Reddit have also introduced AI-enhanced search features. While many platforms have begun to restrict data access for AI training, LinkedIn, owned by Microsoft, has not yet imposed similar limitations on its data. Rajiv indicated that the company anticipates developing a more robust policy regarding browsers and AI agents over time.
Despite the initial launch, the company acknowledges that the search tool is still undergoing refinement. Early observations have shown inconsistencies, such as differing results for semantically similar queries or the inclusion of individuals with a "LinkedIn Top Voice" badge in searches for specific startup types. LinkedIn has confirmed that it is actively working to enhance the search tool's understanding of user queries.
