LinkedIn rolls out ‘Seems like AI slop’ button to combat low-quality automated posts

LinkedIn announced on Thursday it is adding a new feature that allows users to flag posts as “seems like AI slop,” directly targeting the low-quality, artificially generated content that has been increasingly filling the professional social network’s feed. The move is part of a broader industry trend as major platforms respond to growing user frustration with inauthentic, computer-written content.

How the new reporting feature works

The new button, labeled “Seems like AI slop,” will appear as a reporting option when users encounter a post they believe was written by AI. In a post on LinkedIn, Chief Product Officer Hari Srinivasan acknowledged the problem, stating that “AI slop is a top priority for all of us” and that the company is committed to ensuring the platform remains a space for “real people” to share “real perspectives, ideas, and expertise.” The feature is one of several measures LinkedIn is deploying to reduce AI-generated content.

Broader platform defenses against automation

Beyond the user-facing reporting button, LinkedIn is investing in automation defenses that now block “hundreds of thousands” of automated comment attempts daily, and millions of other automation attempts over the past few months, according to Srinivasan. The company is also introducing new classifiers designed to identify AI-generated slop and other low-quality content, which will reduce the visibility of such posts in suggested content recommendations from outside a user’s network. The reporting button will provide direct signal data to help LinkedIn refine these AI detection models over time.

Private feedback and feature changes for users

LinkedIn will also begin privately flagging users in their dashboards when others believe their content appears inauthentic due to heavy AI use. The company hopes this will help posters improve their writing, especially if they are simply using AI to refine their own work rather than generating full “slop” content. Notably, LinkedIn is removing its own “enhance your post” feature, which used AI to help users write, and replacing it with a proofreading tool that preserves the user’s original voice. Additional improvements include expanded access to profile and page verification tools, and a new option to block content from company pages users no longer wish to see.

Industry-wide response to AI content overload

LinkedIn’s action reflects a broader shift across online publishing platforms. Last week, Substack added a tool to help users identify AI-written content through a partnership with Pangram, which this week announced $9 million in new funding to address the problem of AI content flooding the internet. The issue has also impacted newer startups; Digg shut down its Reddit competitor in March, citing an inability to control the number of bots on its site. Internet infrastructure firm Cloudflare reports that bot traffic now exceeds human-generated requests on the web, a milestone reached faster than previously predicted.

Conclusion

LinkedIn’s new “seems like AI slop” button represents a significant step in the platform’s efforts to maintain authenticity and trust among its professional user base. By combining user reporting, automated defenses, and changes to its own AI tools, the company is attempting to strike a balance between leveraging AI technology and preserving genuine human interaction. The effectiveness of these measures will depend on how well LinkedIn can distinguish between helpful AI assistance and harmful automated content.

FAQs

Q1: How do I use the new ‘Seems like AI slop’ button on LinkedIn?
When you see a post you believe was written by AI, you can click the reporting option labeled “Seems like AI slop” to flag it. This helps LinkedIn identify and reduce the visibility of low-quality automated content.

Q2: Will LinkedIn notify users if their content is flagged as AI slop?
Yes, LinkedIn will privately flag users in their dashboards when others believe their content appears inauthentic due to heavy AI use, with the goal of helping them improve their writing.

Q3: Is LinkedIn removing its AI writing tools?
LinkedIn is removing its “enhance your post” feature that used AI to help users write, replacing it with a proofreading tool that preserves the user’s original voice rather than changing it.