AI and Fake Profiles on LinkedIn: The Ethics, the Risks, and the Responsibility

We’re in a time where AI is reshaping how professionals present themselves online. Used well, it can be empowering - helping people communicate better, build confidence, and expand their reach.

But there’s another side to this shift that needs urgent attention: Not just AI-enhanced content, but the emergence of fully fabricated LinkedIn profiles - people who simply don’t exist.

And that’s a problem. For all of us. Especially for LinkedIn.

Why Create Fake Profiles in the First Place?

Let’s be clear: these aren’t just vanity projects or harmless experiments. Fake or fully AI-generated LinkedIn profiles often have specific goals:

• Data collection and scraping Fake accounts can gather info from real users and organizations under the guise of networking.

• Social engineering and phishing Creating trust through a convincing profile makes it easier to manipulate or scam others.

• Inflating engagement or visibility Some use AI personas to boost metrics, amplify content, or build false credibility.

• Selling influence or access Once a fake account gains traction, it can be sold, rebranded, or used to promote products or services deceptively.

These uses erode trust at a platform level, and that’s where the long-term risk lies.

The Second Layer: Real People, Fake Presentation

We’re also seeing real accounts use AI tools to:

• Generate overly polished profile images

• Inflate experience or credentials

• Auto-generate posts that sound impressive but lack substance or originality

While not as overtly harmful as fake accounts, this also contributes to distrust and misrepresentation. The more artificial everything feels, the harder it is to know what, or who, is real.

For a platform built on professional credibility, this is not just a user issue. It’s a business risk.

LinkedIn’s Business Depends on Trust

LinkedIn isn’t just another social media platform. It’s used for hiring, networking, mentoring, and learning. Its entire model depends on credibility.

When people begin to doubt the authenticity of profiles, posts, or connections:

• Recruiters stop trusting applications

• Users stop engaging

• Thought leadership becomes noise

• The network loses its core value

If LinkedIn becomes another space where manipulation thrives, it loses the very thing that made it matter.

AI Use Isn’t the Problem - Misuse Is

As someone who actively works with AI, I don’t believe the solution is to stop using these tools. But we must advocate for responsible, ethical, and transparent use:

• Use AI to support your communication, not invent your credentials

• Be cautious with image generators, especially if they significantly alter appearance or create someone unrecognizable

• Share your real voice, even when AI helps shape it

• Avoid automating interactions that should be human, especially in sensitive contexts like hiring or outreach

Moving Forward: A Shared Responsibility

Platforms like LinkedIn need stronger verification tools, clearer community standards, and AI-specific policies.

But as users, we also have a role to play. The responsibility is collective:

• To build trust, not just impressions

• To use AI with intention, not convenience alone

• To remember that behind every click should be a real person, with real experience

AI can absolutely have a place in our professional lives, if we use it well. Let’s make sure that place is one of integrity, not illusion.