LinkedIn to add AI slop report feature that could train better AI slop

LinkedIn will soon enable users to flag posts which appear to be "AI slop." However, the career-focused social media platform won't be using this data to remove or even discourage AI-generated posts. Rather, it appears the company will use the feedback to train its own algorithms. The upcoming update was announced on Thursday, with LinkedIn's chief product officer Hari Srinivasan stating that AI slop is a "top priority" for the company. "We are ramping [up] the ability for members to tell us if they believe a post or comment seems like AI slop," Srinivasan wrote in a post on the platform. "Slop is hard to define and the definition changes; this lets us tune our models and make better feeds." It's unclear exactly what he means by making LinkedIn's feeds "better," but it's unlikely that it involves the complete absence of generative AI. Srinivasan went on to express the belief that AI-generated posts and AI slop are not synonymous, arguing that people use AI to "refine their thoughts."As such, flagging AI-generated posts on LinkedIn could potentially deprioritise such content. Srinivasan further stated that LinkedIn is adding new classifiers to help identify AI slop and will reduce the amount shown in suggested content. However, it seems likely that the data will also help train LinkedIn's generative AI, so that its AI-generated content is less detectable. Mashable Light Speed LinkedIn previously offered a relatively unpopular "AI-powered writing tool" that allowed users to generate posts for the platform. This feature was removed alongside Thursday's announcement, with Srinivasan stating that it will be replaced with a proofreading tool. Even so, it's probable that the upcoming feature will also use generative AI, with Srinivasan specifically noting that it will not change the users' voice. The platform also still offers AI-generated suggestions for users updating their profiles or company pages. LinkedIn's AI slop report feature doesn't just have the potential to help the platform refine its own algorithms either. Srinivasan noted that users who publish AI-generated content on LinkedIn will also be informed when others tag their posts as AI slop, offering the feedback so they can work on making their AI-generated content sound more "authentic.""For anyone who shares content, we will test a way to privately flag, in your analytics dashboard, when members feel your post may have come off as inauthentic or heavy use of AI," wrote Srinivasan. ""[W]e believe [AI users] want to know when they sound inauthentic…. [W]e want members to get feedback from real humans on what sounds authentic — not just have an AI detector review it and get it wrong."Earlier this month, AI detection tool Pangram published a study that found over 40 percent of longform posts on LinkedIn were completely AI-generated.