Instagram Tightens Rules for Undisclosed AI-Generated Profiles

ISLAMABAD: (News Desk) – Instagram has introduced updated rules for AI-generated profiles, warning that accounts featuring AI-created people without proper disclosure could see their reach reduced.

The Meta-owned platform is renaming its existing “AI creator” label to “AI-generated profile” in an effort to make it clearer when a profile features a person who has been fully or substantially created using artificial intelligence.

Under the revised policy, creators who fail to appropriately disclose AI-generated people may face reduced distribution. However, Instagram said profiles using the new label will not be penalised simply because they feature an AI-generated individual.

Instagram Explains When AI Disclosure Is Required

Instagram said the new label is intended specifically for profiles in which the person featured has been generated or substantially created with AI.

The platform stressed that the requirement does not apply to every form of AI-assisted content. Users who use artificial intelligence for tasks such as photo editing, caption enhancement, graphic creation or other creative modifications will not need to add the “AI-generated profile” label.

Instagram said the policy change follows complaints from users who encountered profiles that appeared to represent real people, only to later discover that the individuals featured were entirely AI-generated.

The platform said users increasingly dislike discovering after the fact that a seemingly authentic human profile actually represents an AI-created person.

AI Influencers Raise Transparency Concerns

The policy arrives as AI-generated influencers and online personalities become increasingly prevalent across social media, prompting concerns about transparency, authenticity and potentially misleading audiences.

Earlier this year, the dating app Goose came under scrutiny after an investigation reportedly uncovered a network of seemingly AI-generated male influencers promoting the service on Instagram.

AI-generated health and wellness personalities have also attracted attention, with artificial doctors, healers and wellness figures reportedly promoting supplements and making health-related claims online.

Instagram has additionally faced criticism over AI-powered tools that allowed users to create images using other people’s likenesses. Meta subsequently removed the controversial feature following user backlash.

The latest policy change comes as Meta faces broader scrutiny over the impact of its social media platforms, particularly on younger users.

Meta has also faced legal pressure in the United States over allegations concerning the effects of Facebook and Instagram on children and teenagers, with the company agreeing to an $18 billion settlement with US states and outlining additional measures related to teen usage.