In just three months, LinkedIn released a range of new generative AI tools to empower members and customers. Ya Xu, VP of engineering and head of data and artificial intelligence (AI) at the company, told VentureBeat that this success was achieved by a unique approach to development, rooted in exploration rather than simply creating a finished product. This focus allowed for rapid progress, with teams able to generate job descriptions automatically and serve them live within a single month.
At the heart of this process was cross-functional teams that shared a vision and purpose, as well as Microsoft’s insider access to technology that allowed LinkedIn to visualize how models such as ChatGPT and GPT-4 could improve economic opportunities. This led to exploration efforts that included the LinkedIn Gateway and the Generative AI Playground, where members and customers could take advantage of the advanced models provided by OpenAI and Hugging Face.
To ensure that proper treatment was given to the technology itself, Xu and her team provided education on the basics of working with generative AI, such as prompt engineering and the potential problems and limitations that developers would face. Education also included a company-wide meeting and lunch and learn sessions, followed by deeper education for those who were heavily involved with R&D. Additionally, the team fostered a collaborative spirit that saw teams share resources and best practices, leading to tremendous progress in the development effort.
Finally, LinkedIn had to consider the potential for misuse of the technology. To the development team’s credit, they put together a thorough evaluation pipeline that employed both machine learning and human-reviewed outputs to iterate the platform and improve its accuracy. They also ensured that any generated content was checked for potential issues before being shared with users, as well as having a policy in place to quickly remove any content that was found to be inappropriate.
Thanks to this comprehensive approach and a shared commitment to excellence at all levels, the LinkedIn team achieved their goal of releasing generative AI tools in just three months. The VentureBeat article is a testament to the team’s hard work and dedication, and provides readers with an inside look at the development of a revolutionary technology that has the potential to transform the economic landscape.
