Instagram is taking a small step towards increasing transparency around AI-generated content on the service. The app is testing a new account-level label that will allow creators to self-identify as an “AI Creator.”
The label will appear prominently on creators’ profiles and elsewhere in the app, alongside their posts and Reels. It says, “This profile posts content that was generated or modified with AI.” According to Meta, the new labels are an effort to “increase the level of AI transparency on Instagram.” And the language of the new labels is notably more explicit than Meta’s “AI information” badge, which indicates that a given post “may” have been created or edited with an AI tool.
But, importantly, the “AI Creator” labels are entirely optional. This means that many users are still likely to find AI content labeled more vaguely “AI information” or no label at all. As Meta’s Oversight Board recently pointed out, those disclosures are enforced somewhat haphazardly because Meta lacks the ability to reliably trace all AI-generated content passing through its apps. (The company has not yet responded to the board’s recommendations to improve its AI-detection methods.)
Still, Meta is encouraging creators who frequently post AI content to use the feature. “This label builds trust by helping your audience understand what they’re seeing on Instagram,” an in-app message says. Of course, if the company really wants to “build trust” it could turn them on by default, make them required or even shut down accounts that refuse to use them. Meta, for now at least, is opting for a very light touch. But as AI-generated content becomes more pervasive (and harder for our poor human eyes to detect), the company may need to rethink its approach to AI labeling.
<a href