India stands apart from other markets in how professionals approach AI - and that difference is reshaping how LinkedIn communicates with its members. During a visit to open LinkedIn's new Bengaluru office, chief communications officer Nicole Leverich told afaqs! that Indian professionals show an optimism about artificial intelligence that is unmatched elsewhere.
"Elsewhere, there's more fear and concern about job displacement. There is certainly some anxiety in India too, but the level of optimism is unmatched," Leverich said.
The numbers back that up. India consumes 50% more learning content on LinkedIn than any other market. The number of people adding "founder" to their profiles has grown 104% in India, compared with 60% globally. Video content shared on the platform in India is up 60% year-on-year.
How AI optimism changes the message
That sentiment gap has direct implications for communications strategy. In markets where professionals fear AI, LinkedIn softens its approach. "When we introduce an AI tool or product in a market where there's a lot of fear and scepticism, we have to soften the message. The tool doesn't change; it's how we approach and communicate it," said Leverich.
In India, the company can lead with opportunity. That means focusing on practical guidance - what skills to learn, how to use AI, how to stay relevant - rather than treating AI as an abstract technology.
The same appetite for practical information drives the founder boom. "Founders have very different information needs. They're not necessarily looking for abstract advice. They want practical information that can help them solve the specific problem in front of them," she said.
For PR and communications professionals, this signals a shift in how audiences consume professional content. People come to LinkedIn not just to network or job-hunt, but to learn, hire, build businesses and find connections. That changes what content earns attention - and what gets ignored. Understanding how AI is reshaping these dynamics is becoming a core skill for communicators, and resources like the AI for PR & Communications tag track how these changes play out in the field.
Local stories, global consistency
LinkedIn operates in more than 200 countries with over 1.3 billion members. Leverich describes the company's communications approach as a "70/30 rule": about 70% of what LinkedIn communicates is globally consistent - product, core message, overall objective. The remaining 30% is how that story gets told locally.
"The 30% is how we communicate around it, and that is very specific to the market," she said.
The Bengaluru office makes the point visible: the LinkedIn logo at the entrance is composed of Indian artwork and design. Language strategy follows a similar logic. While LinkedIn offers multiple language options in India, English dominates - particularly as professionals in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities use it to join the global professional community.
For communicators working across markets, the takeaway is that localisation means adapting tone and context, not changing the core story. The rise of creator-led media relations is part of this shift - communicators now need to identify influential creators with specific audiences, understand their credibility, and work with them genuinely. The AI Learning Path for Media Relations Specialists addresses exactly this changing media environment.
The rise of the authentic executive
As AI makes polished content easier to produce at scale, the individual voice becomes more valuable. "People don't want to hear from an anonymous corporate statement. They want to hear from the person making the decision," said Leverich, who reports directly to LinkedIn CEO Daniel Shapero.
That is driving CEOs and founders to become communicators in their own right. Audiences increasingly want the journey behind the achievement - including the uncertainty and mistakes - not just the announcement.
"People don't just want to hear, 'I built an amazing company.' They want to see the messy parts of the journey and experience it alongside the leader," she said.
For corporate communications teams, this means executives can no longer simply be the face attached to a press release. They become ongoing sources of expertise and conversation. LinkedIn gives them a direct line to a professional audience.
Leverich draws a parallel with the technology bloggers who emerged early in her 25-year career. Communicators once had to figure out which bloggers mattered and build relationships with them. Today, creators play a similar role - but with even more credibility among highly specific audiences.
"If they believe in what you're doing and choose to share it with their audience, that can lend a company far more credibility," she said.
AI changes the tools, not the job
Leverich has lived through several transitions: the press release, then blogs, then social media. Her warning to communicators is not to get consumed by the idea that this moment is unprecedented.
"We can get very caught up in the idea that the current moment is unlike anything we've seen before. But we've been through major shifts before," she said.
AI will change the skills communicators need. It will not eliminate the function. "The skills a communications professional needs five years from now may be 70% different from the skills they need today. What doesn't change is storytelling," she said.
There is also a counterintuitive lesson in the age of perfect content. Leverich spoke to a well-known podcaster who found that deliberately introducing small errors - a typo, an extra space - into LinkedIn posts generated higher engagement. The reason: humans make mistakes. AI does not have to.
"AI is beautiful, polished and perfect," she said.
Trust is earned every day
The growing importance of authentic voices connects to a broader challenge: trust. Leverich cites a definition from a former LinkedIn CEO that has stayed with her: "Trust is consistency over time."
LinkedIn's verification feature is one technological answer. But the bigger shift is toward people taking responsibility for the messages they put into the world. That is why she believes CEOs and communicators need to speak directly to their audiences.
Why this matters for PR and communications professionals
Three practical takeaways emerge from Leverich's observations. First, the Indian market rewards practical, skill-focused AI communication over abstract corporate messaging - professionals here are actively seeking guidance, not reassurance. Second, executive voices now carry more weight than corporate statements; the communicator's job is to make leaders accessible and consistent, not to polish every imperfection. Third, creator relationships have become a core part of media relations - identify the right voices, work with them genuinely, and let their credibility do the work.
The underlying message is simple: learn, adapt, and keep growing. The tools will change. The storytelling won't.
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