Professional networking platform LinkedIn has confirmed that it automatically uses personal user data to train artificial intelligence (AI) models without first informing its members. The California-headquartered company stated in a September 18 blog post that it has updated its privacy policy to include language clarifying how it uses the information shared with it for AI model training and security measures. LinkedIn does offer an opt-out setting for members who do not want their data used for generative AI training.
LinkedIn, which is owned by Microsoft, has heavily invested in OpenAI, the developer behind ChatGPT. According to the platform’s FAQ section, the AI models used for generative AI features may be trained by LinkedIn or another provider such as Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI service. Generative AI is utilized by LinkedIn for features like its writing assistant and suggesting posts or messages.
The personal data processed and used to train AI includes user posts, usage information, inputs and outputs, language preferences, and feedback provided by users. When training generative AI models, LinkedIn aims to minimize personal data in the datasets through privacy-enhancing technologies that redact or remove such information.
The updates to LinkedIn’s terms of service will take effect on November 20. However, content-generating AI models are currently not trained on data from members located in certain regions including the European Union and United Kingdom.
For users outside these regions who wish to opt out of their data being used for AI training purposes can visit their member settings page and turn off the “data for generative AI improvement” option. Opting out means that future model training will not use their personal data but does not affect any previous training that has already occurred.
In related news, Meta (formerly facebook) recently announced plans to resume training its own AI models using public content shared by adults on facebook and Instagram in the UK after addressing regulatory feedback. Privacy rights groups have criticized social media platforms like LinkedIn and Meta for processing user data without consent.
