Next time you see an executive sharing their thoughts on business and politics in a LinkedIn post, keep in mind that it may have been written by AI supervised by a virtual assistant in the Philippines.
The virtual-assistant industry emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, as businesses in the US and Europe sought to offshore administrative work to cut costs. The Philippines, with a large English-speaking population, is one of the most popular offshore work hubs.
Rest of World, a non-profit journalism publication, spoke to six Filipino virtual assistants and two agencies that operate in the industry of content production for executives on LinkedIn.
One of the assistants, Renee (name changed), says her job involves posting and commenting on LinkedIn on behalf of a London-based strategic investor.
She says she was given a four-page prompt detailing the investor’s biography, a list of her most important concerns, and her favorite books.
Renee creates 30-40 comments per day on LinkedIn using ChatGPT, prioritizing engagement with accounts that regularly garner high numbers of likes and reposts.
Listings on employment marketplaces JobStreet and Indeed offer $4 to $7 per hour for virtual tasks such as bookkeeping and social media marketing.
However, interviews conducted by Rest of World suggest that more and more virtual assistants are hired to produce LinkedIn content in the name of Western executives.
Assistants say their daily responsibilities revolve around promoting a CEO’s brand and personality through repetitive posting. Their clients pay for AI tools to speed up production.
Alex (name changed) says he collaborates with a network of 20 virtual assistants to increase engagement for each other’s clients. They are connected on a WhatsApp group chat, where they notify other assistants about their new posts.
Virtual assistants say daily posting, a sudden surge in followers, and replies to every comment are the major telltale signs that a thought leader’s account is managed offshore.
In a statement to Rest of World, LinkedIn said the platform is clamping down on “low quality, automated or generic” content.
The company said while AI can be used to “beat the blank page problem,” it focuses on professional conversations that help people advance their careers.
The exact number of AI-written posts on LinkedIn is hard to pinpoint. A 2025 study by Originality AI found that more than half (54%) of posts on long-form platforms are likely AI-generated.
In addition, the study suggests that post length has increased by 107% since ChatGPT's release in late 2022.
However, AI detectors are “neither accurate nor reliable,” according to a 2023 study, while something widely considered as a telltale sign of AI writing, the “em dash,” is often contested by professional writers.
Unlock more exclusive Cybernews content on YouTube.
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are markedmarked