LinkedIn has undergone a radical transformation with the spread of AI writing tools. A recent study showed that more than 54% of long-form English-language posts on the platform were likely written entirely or partially using AI tools.

This study shows the extent of the transformation that the world of digital content is witnessing due to artificial intelligence. On the one hand, it has become easy to create huge content at a very high speed, which has led to a radical change in the form of some platforms. On the other hand, artificial intelligence writing has infiltrated platforms such as LinkedIn without us noticing, which raises questions about the credibility of the content we consume through this platform.

LinkedIn, the leading professional networking platform, has deeply integrated AI technologies into its services, giving LinkedIn Premium subscribers access to AI writing tools, allowing users to quickly generate professional content and rewrite their posts, profiles and messages in a more professional way, and analytics indicate that this initiative is succeeding.

A new analysis by Originality AI has found that AI models can generate text that closely resembles the writing style of opinion blogs and articles written by industry experts. The analysis concludes that distinguishing human-written and AI-generated text, especially in the context of corporate content, has become a real challenge.

The huge increase in the use of artificial intelligence on LinkedIn:

Originality AI analyzed 8,795 LinkedIn posts of more than 100 words, published between January 2018 and October 2024.

The results showed that the percentage of posts written using artificial intelligence tools was small during the period from January 2018 to early 2023, but witnessed a significant increase with the launch of (ChatGPT) in early 2023, as the percentage rose by about 189%, before stabilizing later.

John Gilham, CEO of Originality, points out that this sharp increase reflects the significant impact these tools have had on the content published on the platform.

Commenting on these numbers, LinkedIn stressed that it does not track the number of posts written or edited using AI. Adam Valkiewicz, LinkedIn’s head of newsfeed monitoring, said: “We have robust systems in place to detect duplicate or low-quality content, including AI-generated content, and we take steps to ensure that such content does not spread widely.”

“We see AI as a support tool that helps our members overcome creative hurdles, such as writing initial drafts, but the real value lies in the original ideas that each member brings, and we believe that this is the real driver of discussions on the platform,” he added.

The impact of artificial intelligence on content quality:

LinkedIn has long been associated with job search and professional networking, but in recent years, it has undergone a remarkable transformation, becoming a popular destination for influencers, especially from Generation Z. With this transformation, a new industry has emerged around exploiting artificial intelligence to enhance presence on the platform.

Startups have realized that there is a huge market for AI tools that help users build their personal brand on LinkedIn. Instead of spending time and effort creating original content, users can now buy ready-made comments and shares, making it difficult to distinguish a real influencer from a bot.

But does this mean that original content on LinkedIn is becoming extinct?

Not necessarily. While some users use AI tools to generate ready-to-publish content, others turn to large language models like Claude and ChatGPT to get a rough draft of content, which they then edit and customize to suit their clients’ needs.

AI has also become an integral part of many people’s lives, especially those learning new languages. For example, journalist and marketer Çidem Öztapak told WIRED that she uses these tools to translate and proofread her writing from her native Turkish into English, and that she prefers Claude over ChatGPT.

Reasons for resorting to artificial intelligence:

Save time and effort: AI tools help generate ideas and speed up the content writing process, allowing users to focus on the creative aspects.

Improve quality: AI can improve the quality of content by suggesting better wording or detecting linguistic errors, and it also helps non-native English speakers polish their writing and avoid typos.