Instagram has announced it will change how it labels AI-generated profiles and will begin limiting the reach of accounts that feature AI-generated people without disclosing this.
The platform is renaming its existing “AI creator” label to “AI-generated profile,” which it says should make the disclosure clearer. The new label is intended to tell users that the person featured on a profile was generated or substantially created with AI.
Under the new policy, creators who do not properly label an AI-generated profile could see their reach reduced. Those who use the new label will not be penalised simply for having an AI-generated person as their profile subject.
Instagram says the label is not meant for every use of AI. People who use AI to edit photos, polish captions, create graphics, or make other creative tweaks do not need to use the AI-generated profile label.
The change comes partly in response to users who have encountered profiles that looked like they belonged to real people, only to discover later that the person was completely AI-generated. Instagram wrote: “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. They want to know when a profile features an AI-generated person.”