TL;DR: LinkedIn has been using member data to train its AI models without clear notification. The opt-out is buried in privacy settings, and many users don't know their profiles, posts, and interactions are being fed into AI systems. Here's how to opt out.
Discovery Through X Posts
Users discovered LinkedIn was training AI on their data after X (formerly Twitter) posts went viral showing the hidden opt-out setting. LinkedIn, owned by Microsoft since 2016, hadn't prominently announced this change. The setting was added to accounts worldwide, defaulting to "on."
Your entire professional history becomes training data: every post you've made, article you've shared, skill you've listed, and connection you've made. Even your carefully crafted About section and work descriptions feed the machine learning models powering LinkedIn's new AI features.
Finding the Hidden Setting
The opt-out is buried three menus deep. You won't find it in the obvious places. No pop-up asked for consent. No email explained the change. Users stumbled upon it by accident or learned through social media warnings.
Here's the problem: LinkedIn knows most users never touch privacy settings. Industry data shows less than 5% of users modify default privacy options. That means 95% of LinkedIn's 1 billion users are unknowingly training AI models with their professional data.
LinkedIn claims this improves their "writing suggestions" and "job matching" features. But once your data trains an AI model, you can't untrain it. The knowledge extracted from your profile becomes part of the model's weights and parameters permanently.
How to Opt Out Right Now
Takes 30 seconds if you know where to look:
Step-by-Step Opt-Out
1. Click your profile picture → Settings & Privacy
2. Select "Data Privacy" on the left
3. Find "Data for Generative AI Improvement"
4. Toggle OFF the switch
5. Do this on desktop - mobile app may not show the option
Check Other Settings
While you're there, review:
• "How LinkedIn uses your data"
• "Manage your data and activity"
• "Get a copy of your data"
LinkedIn has dozens of tracking toggles most users never see.
Consider Your Content
Opting out stops future training, but your past data may already be in models. Think twice before posting proprietary knowledge, client details, or strategic insights. LinkedIn is Microsoft. Microsoft sells AI services. Connect the dots. Your professional data is valuable enough that hackers auctioned 4TB of AI interview data in a separate breach, and states are starting to fight back with data broker deletion laws.