LinkedIn has been training generative AI with user data — a quiet change the public noticed on Wednesday.
Users of the professional social networking platform owned by Microsoft were the first to notice a new option pop up in their data privacy settings called “Data for Generative AI Improvement.”
The setting options come with an explanation saying that this feature gives “LinkedIn and its affiliates” permission to “use your personal data and content you create on LinkedIn to train generative AI models that create content.”
The setting is turned on by default.
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In addition, as 404 Media discovered in its initial report, LinkedIn appears to have launched its AI training without updating its terms of service to inform users.
Don’t want LinkedIn and other third-parties using your LinkedIn data to train their generative AI to create content using your posts? Here’s how to turn it off.
How to turn off LinkedIn’s AI training
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Login to your LinkedIn account.
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Click your profile image on the header menu and select Settings & Privacy in the dropdown menu.
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Choose Data privacy on the left hand side menu.
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Select the Data for Generative AI Improvement option at the very bottom of the How LinkedIn uses your data section.
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Toggle the “Use my data for training content creation AI models” switch off.
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Thanks to the EU’s strong data privacy laws, LinkedIn is not using EU users’ data for its AI training.
“We are initially making this setting available to members whose profile location is outside of the EU, EEA, or Switzerland,” reads a statement posted on the company’s AI training FAQ page. “If you live in these regions, we and our affiliates will not use your personal data or content on LinkedIn to train or fine-tune generative AI models for content creation without further notice.”