LinkedIn Suspends Use of UK Data for AI After Censorship Questions

LinkedIn has stopped using UK user data to train its AI models after a regulator raised concerns.

The Microsoft-owned social media site for jobs has quietly seen users around the world opt in to using their data to train its AI models.

But the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said on Friday it was “pleased” that LinkedIn had confirmed it had temporarily stopped using UK users’ information.

LinkedIn said it welcomes the opportunity to engage with the ICO further.

“We are pleased that LinkedIn has considered the concerns we raised about its approach to training generative AI models with information relating to its UK users,” said Stephen Almond, executive director of the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Many major tech companies, including LinkedIn, are looking to user-generated content on their platforms as a new source of data to train AI tools.

“Generative” AI tools, such as chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT or image generators like Midjourney, learn from massive amounts of text and image data.

But a LinkedIn spokesperson told BBC News that the company believes users should have control over their data.

With this, the company has given UK users a way to opt out of having their data used to train its AI models.

“We’ve always used some form of automation in LinkedIn products, and we’ve always been clear that users have a choice about how their data is used,” they added.

Social platforms where users post information about their lives or jobs can provide rich material to help tools seem more natural.

“The reality we are in today is that a lot of people are looking for help with getting the first draft of a resume… to help craft the messaging to recruiters for their next job opportunity,” a LinkedIn spokesperson said.

“Ultimately, people want that advantage in their careers, and what our AI services do is help them get that advantage.”

The company says In its global privacy policy User data will be used to help develop AI services, and In a help article It states that it will also be processed when users interact with tools that offer suggestions for writing posts, for example.

This will no longer apply to users in the UK, as well as users in the EU, EEA and Switzerland.

Meta and X (formerly known as Twitter) are among the platforms that, like LinkedIn, want to use content posted on their platforms to help develop their own generative AI tools.

But they have faced regulatory hurdles in the UK and the EU, with strict privacy rules that set limits on how and when personal data can be collected.

Meta halted plans to use public posts, comments and photos of adults in the UK to train its AI tools in June. After criticismand Concerns raised by ICO.

The company Users in the UK have recently started being notified again. Facebook and Instagram have spoken out about their plans and explained the opt-out process after communicating with the data watchdog.

LinkedIn is now likely to face a similar process before it can resume plans to train its tools using UK user data.

“In order to get the most out of generative AI and the opportunities it brings, it is vital that the public can trust that their privacy rights will be respected from the outset,” said Mr Almond, of the Information Commissioner’s Office.

He said the regulator would “continue to monitor” developers such as Microsoft and LinkedIn to ensure they were protecting the data rights of UK users.