Instagram puts new limits on undisclosed AI profiles

Instagram announced on Monday that it is changing how it labels AI-generated profiles and will begin limiting the reach of accounts featuring AI-generated people without proper disclosure. The platform plans to rename its existing "AI creator" label to "AI-generated profile," with the intention of making the disclosure clearer for users.

This new label will indicate that the person on a profile was generated or primarily created using AI. Creators who fail to properly label an AI-generated profile risk seeing their reach reduced. However, creators who correctly use the new label will not face any penalties for having an AI-generated person as their profile subject.

The label is not intended for all uses of AI; rather, it is meant for cases where AI is used to create the profile subject rather than just editing photos, captions, graphics, or other creative elements. The change comes in response to user complaints about profiles that appear to be human but are actually AI-generated, a concern that has grown as generative AI becomes more prevalent in content creation across social media platforms.

The timing of this announcement is significant, as frustration over AI-generated content has been increasing. For instance, earlier this year, research uncovered a network of apparently AI-generated male influencers that promoted a gay dating app on Instagram. Moreover, health and wellness content featuring AI-generated doctors, healers, and wellness personalities promoting supplements or health claims has been a growing concern.

This announcement follows Instagram's previous backlash over an AI tool that allowed users to generate images using other people's likenesses without explicit consent. Meta subsequently removed the feature. Additionally, Meta recently reached an $18 billion settlement with U.S. states over allegations concerning the impact of Facebook and Instagram on children and teenagers.

As part of the settlement, Meta plans to implement a default two-hour daily usage limit for teens across Facebook and Instagram, a "Night Mode" block, and other restrictions.