LinkedIn has introduced a new computer program that uses artificial intelligence. They call it a “job seeker coach.” They have also revealed some other AI tools for people who pay for a premium membership.
LinkedIn, did this because they reached a big milestone, they now have over 1 billion members. For a while, the company, which is owned by Microsoft, has been focusing on making tools that can automatically send messages to recruiters, create job descriptions, and give suggestions on how to improve your profile with the help of AI.
LinkedIn’s New AI Chatbot
The new AI chatbot is here to help users figure out if a job they want to apply for is a good choice. It uses a powerful AI program called GPT-4 from a company called OpenAI. They started testing it with some premium users on Wednesday. Microsoft has invested billions of dollars into OpenAI.
LinkedIn’s engineering team had to invest a lot of resources in improving the platform’s speed, according to Erran Berger, who is the Vice President of Product Engineering at LinkedIn.
“We had to do a lot of work on our side to make the platform faster and smoother,” Berger stated. He said that when you’re having conversations on the platform, it’s similar to a quick search, and people expect immediate responses. So, LinkedIn had to develop new platform features to make that happen.
Revenue Growth Strategy and Job-Seeker Chatbot Features
LinkedIn is making these improvements because they want to increase their revenue growth, which has been slowing down for eight consecutive quarters. Two weeks ago, the company announced that they would be cutting nearly 700 jobs, with most of them coming from the engineering department.
People using the new chatbot can start it from a job posting by choosing one of a few questions. These questions include things like “Do I match this job?” and “How can I make myself the best fit for this job?”
If you ask the first question, the chatbot will look at your LinkedIn profile and your work experience. It might say something like, “Your profile shows that you have a lot of experience in marketing and event planning, which is important for this job.”
The chatbot will also tell you if there are things missing from your experience that could make it harder for you to get the job.
Promise for Fair AI and and Personalized Job-Seeker Experience
Gyanda Sachdeva, who is the Vice President of Product Management at LinkedIn, said that the answers from the chatbot have to be really good because they are important for people trying to get a job, and they take this responsibility seriously.
Users can also ask the chatbot about the people who work at the company. When they do this, the chatbot will send them profiles of a few employees. These employees might be connections of connections (second- or third-degree connections). The user can then send these employees a message about the job opportunity, and the chatbot can help draft that message using AI.
In the past, some AI systems used in hiring and job applications have been criticized for showing bias against marginalized groups. For example, Amazon’s recruiting system was reported to downgrade resumes with the word “women” or references to women’s colleges. Another study in the Harvard Business found bias against black candidates in job board recommendations.
Erran Berger, the Vice President of Product Engineering at LinkedIn, said, “We’ve put a lot of effort into making sure our system follows responsible AI standards. When combined with our AI models for matching jobs, which we’ve been working on for a long time, we aim to provide a very personalized and fair experience for job seekers.”
Summary
LinkedIn introduced an AI chatbot, the “job seeker coach,” and other AI tools for premium users. With over 1 billion members, they aim to revitalize revenue growth and improve user experiences. The chatbot uses GPT-4 from OpenAI, promoting fair AI practices and personalized job-seeking support while addressing past biases in hiring technology.
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