LinkedIn is taking a major leap forward with the rollout of its new LinkedIn AI-powered people search, a feature designed to make discovering the right professionals easier than ever. After two years of experimenting with AI across content creation, hiring assistance, job recommendations, and learning tools, LinkedIn is finally upgrading one of its most essential features — search.

This new LinkedIn AI-powered people search lets users find people using natural language queries, instead of relying on job titles or endless filters. That means you can now type questions like:

• “Find me investors in the healthcare sector with FDA experience.”
• “Show me people who co-founded a productivity startup in NYC.”
• “Who in my network can help me understand wireless networks?”

It’s the kind of intuitive search that feels long overdue.

Why this upgrade matters

Until now, LinkedIn search was often frustrating. You either had to guess the exact keywords or fiddle with complicated filters to get useful results. Rohan Rajiv, LinkedIn’s senior director of product management, said the old system required “knowing the exact title” or the perfect filter combination — otherwise the ideal match stayed hidden.

With the new LinkedIn AI-powered people search, LinkedIn says users are already discovering connections who can help with job opportunities, business leads, or career guidance.

The race to build smarter search

Every major platform is integrating AI into search — Google, Microsoft’s Bing, Brave, DuckDuckGo, Reddit, and even AI-native search engines like Perplexity. As people increasingly ask chatbots for answers, traditional search tools are rushing to keep up.

LinkedIn’s professional graph is also a popular target for AI demos and agent-based tools, but unlike Reddit, the platform hasn’t yet locked down its data behind licensing agreements.

Rajiv hinted that LinkedIn will eventually define clearer policies around AI browsers and agents but said it’s still early:

“This is the worst the search has ever been — and it’s only going to get better.”

Early limitations

Like any AI system, the new LinkedIn AI-powered people search is still imperfect. For example:

• Searching “people who co-founded a YC startup” returns different results than searching “Y Combinator.”
• Queries like “people who co-founded a voice AI startup” sometimes surface accounts with a LinkedIn Top Voice badge.

LinkedIn says improving query understanding is a top priority.

Who gets access first?

The LinkedIn AI-powered people search is rolling out initially to Premium users in the U.S., with plans to expand globally in the coming months. Eligible users will notice their search bar change from “Search” to “I’m looking for…”, signaling access to the new experience.

As the feature evolves, LinkedIn hopes it will become the fastest way to find the right professional — whether you’re job hunting, networking, or growing your business.