After becoming a target of internet jokes over generic, AI-written posts, LinkedIn is changing how it ranks content, introducing new reporting tools and encouraging users to share more authentic professional experiences.
LinkedIn is stepping up its efforts to reduce low-quality, AI-generated content as the professional networking platform faces growing criticism over repetitive posts that sound polished but often lack originality, personal insight or meaningful information.
From emoji-filled bullet points to generic business advice and posts promising valuable insights in exchange for a follow or comment, the platform has become increasingly crowded with content that appears to have been written by artificial intelligence rather than by the professionals whose names appear above it.
The problem reflects a broader trend across social media, where inexpensive AI tools make it possible to produce large volumes of content quickly. YouTube, Pinterest, Spotify and other platforms have also taken steps to address unwanted or low-quality AI-generated material.
But LinkedIn has been particularly affected.
A July 2026 report by Pangram, a research company that tracks AI-generated content online, found that more than 40% of long-form LinkedIn posts in its dataset were classified as entirely AI-generated. The study examined more than one million posts across LinkedIn, X, Medium, Reddit and Substack, with long-form content defined as posts exceeding 250 words.
The findings highlighted how widespread AI-written material had become on a platform built around professional expertise, personal reputations and business relationships.
“What Works Is Being Human”
LinkedIn is now trying to reverse that trend by prioritizing content that offers genuine perspectives and useful information.
Dan Roth, the platform’s editor-in-chief and head of content strategy, told CNN that many users have followed online advice about writing effective LinkedIn posts, producing carefully structured lists and attention-grabbing introductions.
Yet those formulas can make posts sound increasingly similar.
“What works is being human,” Roth said.
The shift comes with an irony: LinkedIn is owned by Microsoft, one of the world’s leading developers and promoters of artificial intelligence tools. The platform has previously offered features to help users generate, edit and rewrite posts using AI.
However, LinkedIn has recently adjusted its approach, emphasizing proofreading and clarity improvements rather than tools that substantially rewrite a user’s voice.
The company’s concern is not simply about writing style. If users encounter too many repetitive, generic posts instead of useful professional insights, they may lose interest in the platform altogether.
For LinkedIn, that makes content quality a business issue as well as a question of authenticity.
More Than One Million Users Flagged AI “Slop”
In August, LinkedIn introduced a feedback option that allows members to flag content they believe is low-quality, generic or AI-generated.
The feature, called “Seems Like AI Slop,” was used by more than one million members during its first two weeks, according to LinkedIn.
The company is also using its own AI systems to identify and limit the distribution of such material.
A team that includes former journalists and social media experts helps train the company’s systems to distinguish between generic content and posts that offer original perspectives, practical knowledge or meaningful professional experiences.
When LinkedIn’s systems classify a post as low-quality AI-generated content, the post becomes less likely to be recommended beyond the author’s immediate network.
The company has also begun giving creators feedback through post analytics when their content receives sufficient reports from other members.
LinkedIn reported on September 15 that improvements to its detection systems had reduced views of content classified as AI slop by 40%. The figure refers to the reach of content identified by the platform’s systems, rather than proving that AI-generated posts themselves had declined by the same percentage.
LinkedIn’s “Content Therapists”
Another part of the strategy involves working directly with executives, industry experts and other creators who rely on LinkedIn to build their professional profiles.
The platform has a creator management team that Roth describes as providing a form of “content therapy.”
Many professionals have become accustomed to running their ideas through AI tools such as Claude or Gemini before publishing them. The resulting posts may look polished, but they can lose the author’s personality and fail to connect with readers.
Roth told CNN that some users approach the team after their AI-assisted posts perform poorly, asking why their content did not attract the expected attention.
His advice is to examine the text and ask a simple question: does the author actually recognize themselves in what they have written?
LinkedIn is encouraging users to embrace imperfection rather than trying to make every post look professionally manufactured.
That could mean recording a video with a phone propped against a coffee mug instead of filming in an expensive studio. It could also mean sharing an unfinished thought that starts a genuine conversation rather than publishing a lengthy post filled with generic advice.
The underlying idea is that readers want to hear from real people with their own experiences, perspectives and expertise.
Authenticity Over Artificial Perfection
LinkedIn says its campaign against AI slop does not mean the platform opposes artificial intelligence altogether.
AI tools can help users improve grammar, organize ideas and communicate more clearly, particularly for people who do not consider themselves natural writers.
The distinction, according to the company, is between using AI to support communication and relying on it to generate repetitive content without meaningful personal input.
Pangram’s research also suggests that AI-generated content is not limited to LinkedIn. It found substantial amounts of machine-written material across multiple platforms, particularly in longer posts.
The challenge for social networks is determining how to limit low-value content without discouraging useful applications of AI or mistakenly penalizing legitimate writing.
For LinkedIn, the stakes are especially significant because professional credibility is central to the platform’s appeal.
A post about leadership, business strategy or career development carries more weight when it reflects genuine knowledge and experience rather than a collection of familiar phrases generated by an automated tool.
“We just try to push people to be more human,” Roth told CNN. “That is what is required to be able to cut through the noise.”
As AI tools become more capable and accessible, LinkedIn’s strategy points to a broader challenge for online communication: producing content is becoming easier, but creating something distinctive, trustworthy and genuinely useful remains much harder.
