LinkedIn appoints Deepak Agarwal as chief AI officer

New Delhi, Jan 22: Professional networking platform LinkedIn on Wednesday announced that it has appointed Deepak Agarwal as the new chief AI officer (CAIO).

Key Points
1. Experienced tech leader returns to LinkedIn in top AI role
2. Committed to ethical and human-centric AI innovations
3. Aims to enhance professional networking through advanced technology
4. Driving personalized user experiences and career opportunities

Agarwal comes with 24 years of experience in engineering and AI roles, having previously held leadership positions at Pinterest and Yahoo. It is his second stint leading AI at LinkedIn. In his previous role, he served as the VP of AI for eight years.

“During his time at LinkedIn, Deepak played a key role in developing AI innovations at a massive scale, which has been serving as the foundation for much of the company’s AI efforts today,” said the company.

“I am thrilled to share that I’m joining LinkedIn as the company’s Chief AI Officer,” Agarwal shared in a post on the platform.

He noted that LinkedIn “has a long and impressive history of using AI”, enabling users to personalise their experiences to help them grow their knowledge and access to opportunity.

AI at LinkedIn has also empowered businesses as well as fostered meaningful professional relationships. Calling it an “honour” to join LinkedIn Agarwal said he aims to push for ethical and human-centric innovations.

“My mission as CAIO is to push the boundaries of what’s possible, ensuring our AI innovations are not only cutting-edge and industry-defining but also ethical, inclusive, human-centric, and empathetic. Nothing gives me more joy in my professional life than building technology that has a meaningful impact on the world,” he said.

“Together, we’ll innovate and create solutions that accelerate the value we deliver to every member and organization on LinkedIn. Here’s to new opportunities, exciting challenges, and transformative innovation!"

Meanwhile, LinkedIn last week rolled out a new AI-based feature to help both employment seekers find the right job and recruiters to get the apt talent.

The new LinkedIn feature will help job seekers understand how their skills and experience line up with open positions. The feature comes as the professional networking site’s new report noted how job seeking and recruiting have become challenging.