Instagram to limit reach of undisclosed AI-generated profiles

Instagram announced Monday that it’s changing how it labels AI-generated profiles and will start limiting the reach of accounts that feature AI-generated people without disclosing it. The platform is renaming its existing “AI creator” label to “AI-generated profile,” which Instagram says should make the disclosure easier to understand; the label is meant to tell users that the person featured on a profile was generated or substantially created with AI.

Under the new policy, creators who don’t properly label an AI-generated profile could see their reach reduced, while creators who use the new label won’t be penalized simply for having an AI-generated person as their profile subject. The label isn’t meant for every use of AI: Instagram says people who use AI to edit photos, polish captions, create graphics, or make other creative tweaks don’t need to use it. “As generative AI becomes a bigger part of how people create, we’ve heard that people don’t like seeing a profile that seems human, only to find out later that the person featured is AI-generated,” Instagram wrote. “They want to know when a profile features an AI-generated person.”

The change comes as frustration over AI-generated content grows alongside the rise of AI influencers. Earlier this year, the gay dating app Goose became the subject of a Wired investigation after a network of apparently AI-generated male influencers promoted the app on Instagram; Wired found more than two dozen accounts that appeared to feature AI influencers, some of which reportedly reached out to potential users through direct messages to get them to sign up. In health and wellness, The New York Times reported in July that it had found hundreds of AI-generated doctors, healers, and wellness personalities on social media promoting supplements or making health claims to users.

The announcement also follows backlash Instagram faced over an AI tool that let users generate images using other people’s likenesses without an explicit opt-in; Meta later removed that feature. Last week, Meta reached an $18 billion settlement with U.S. states over allegations concerning the effects of Facebook and Instagram on children and teenagers, under which Meta will introduce a default two-hour daily usage limit for teens on both platforms, a “Night Mode” block, muted notifications during school hours, and other restrictions.

Why it matters

Tying algorithmic reach to AI disclosure gives Instagram a lever to enforce transparency without banning AI-generated personas outright, but it puts the platform in the position of policing a labeling rule that determined bad actors have an incentive to ignore.