Instagram renames AI creator label, warns unlabelled AI profiles could lose reach

MUMBAI: Instagram is putting a clearer name on AI-generated identities. The platform is renaming its existing “AI creator” label to “AI-generated profile” and warning that profiles featuring AI-generated people could lose recommendation reach if they do not disclose it.

The change is aimed at making it easier for users to distinguish between profiles representing real people and those built around AI-generated personas. Instagram said the update follows feedback from users who were uncomfortable discovering only later that a seemingly human profile was actually synthetic.

The platform began testing the AI creator label earlier this year. Under the updated system, creators who previously used that label will see the new “AI-generated profile” name and can review whether it still applies. They can confirm the label or remove it if their profile no longer features an AI-generated person.

The distinction is important for creators who use AI merely as a production tool. Instagram said people who use AI tools as part of their creative process do not need to add the profile label. The requirement is specifically aimed at profiles that feature an AI-generated person as the identity behind the account.

Creators with such profiles can add the label by editing their profile and switching on AI-generated profile. Once enabled, the label will appear on the profile and alongside its content when the individual piece of media does not already carry an indication that it was created or edited using AI.

Instagram said creators who voluntarily apply the label will not face any change to their profile’s reach.

The platform is taking a tougher approach to profiles that fail to disclose their AI-generated identity. If Instagram detects an unlabelled profile featuring an AI-generated person, it will notify the creator and may restrict the profile from appearing in recommendations.

Creators can check Account Status to determine whether their profile has become ineligible for recommendations. If a profile has been restricted, there are two ways to restore its recommendation eligibility.

The first is to add the AI-generated profile label, making the nature of the account clear to users. The second is to appeal the restriction if the creator believes Instagram’s systems have made a mistake.

If an appeal is successful, the profile and its content can become eligible for recommendations again.

The move comes as generative AI makes it increasingly easy to create convincing digital personalities, raising fresh questions about transparency and how users identify the people behind social media accounts.

Instagram’s latest step is therefore less about policing every use of AI and more about drawing a line between using AI to make content and using AI to create the person presenting it. As synthetic identities become harder to spot, the platform is betting that a clearer label can help users know who, or what, they are following.