According to Digital Trends, LinkedIn is launching an AI-powered people search feature that’s currently exclusive to Premium members in the United States. Instead of using traditional search filters and job titles, subscribers can now type conversational queries describing the outcomes they’re looking for. Users can enter prompts like “someone who’s grown a small business” or “an expert in digital marketing” to find relevant professionals. The AI analyzes these natural language requests against LinkedIn’s professional database to surface people with matching skills and experience. For now, the feature remains limited to US Premium subscribers, though LinkedIn plans wider rollout in the coming months.
Premium paywall push
Here’s the thing: LinkedIn is strategically placing its most advanced features behind the Premium paywall, and this AI search is no exception. They’re basically saying “Want the smart tools? You’ve gotta pay up.” And honestly, it’s a pretty compelling reason to upgrade if you’re serious about using LinkedIn for business development or recruiting. The conversational search eliminates that awkward guessing game where you’re trying to figure out what job title someone would have if they’d accomplished what you’re trying to do. Instead of searching for “VP of Marketing,” you can just ask for “someone who’s successfully launched a new product category.” That’s genuinely useful.
Competitive landscape shift
This move feels like LinkedIn’s response to the broader AI wave sweeping through professional tools. Think about it – every platform from recruitment software to CRM systems is adding AI capabilities. LinkedIn’s advantage? They’ve got the world’s largest professional database to train their models on. While other platforms might offer similar features, nobody has LinkedIn’s depth of verified professional data. This could actually hurt specialized recruiting tools and hiring platforms that charge premium prices for advanced search capabilities. Why pay for multiple services when LinkedIn’s AI can do the heavy lifting?
What this means for users
For recruiters and business developers, this changes everything. You’re no longer limited by your knowledge of industry-specific job titles or company hierarchies. Want to find someone who’s navigated a specific career transition? Just describe it. Looking for professionals who’ve scaled teams during rapid growth phases? The AI understands what that means. The barrier to effective networking and talent sourcing just got significantly lower for Premium subscribers. But here’s the catch: if you’re not paying for Premium, you’re stuck with the old search tools while everyone else gets this AI advantage. That creates a real divide between casual users and power users.
Where this is headed
Given LinkedIn’s track record, we’ll probably see this feature roll out to more regions and possibly lower-tier subscriptions over time. They typically start with Premium exclusives, then gradually expand access. The bigger question is how this transforms professional search altogether. Will we eventually stop thinking in terms of job titles and start thinking purely in terms of outcomes and experiences? That would fundamentally change how we network and recruit. For now, if you’re in the US and have Premium, you’ve got early access to what might become the new standard for professional discovery. Everyone else? You’ll just have to wait your turn.
