LinkedIn is introducing AI-powered collaborative articles to help users tap into “~10 billion years of professional experience.”
LinkedIn is the leading professional networking platform, giving users a place to connect and communicate with peers. Daniel Roth, Editor in Chief, VP at LinkedIn, also wants the site to serve as a destination for professionals looking to share knowledge and learn from their combined experience.
The idea came to Roth when talking with an entrepreneur who was trying to figure out how to restructure his company without angering his employees. When Roth asked him where he planned to get help, his response was: “The internet, I guess?”
Using that moment as inspiration, Roth and his colleges created a way to use AI to jump-start conversations where professionals can share their experience on specific topics:
We are introducing collaborative articles — knowledge topics published by LinkedIn with insights and perspectives added by the LinkedIn community. These articles begin as AI-powered conversation starters, developed with our editorial team. Then, using LinkedIn’s Skills Graph, we match each article with relevant member experts who can contribute their lessons, anecdotes, and advice based on their professional experience.
And, that’s when the real magic happens: when professionals share real-life, specific advice by contributing their perspectives to the work questions we’re all facing every day. Because starting a conversation is harder than joining one, these collaborative articles make it easier for professionals to come together and add and improve ideas — which is how shared knowledge is created.
The collaborative articles provide a way for readers to give feedback, marking helpful contributions as “insightful.” Similarly, contributors earn a Community Top Voice badge in recognition of their insights.
The new feature is a good example of what can be achieved when combining AI with the human element to create unique and helpful experiences.