Instagram is stepping up action against AI-generated influencer accounts that present themselves as real people, announcing new labels and penalties for profiles that fail to disclose when the person featured is artificially generated.
The Meta-owned platform said on Tuesday that it is changing how it identifies AI-generated profiles and will begin limiting the reach of accounts featuring AI-generated people without proper disclosure.
In a blog post titled Bringing More Transparency to AI-Generated Profiles on Instagram, the company said the changes are intended to make it easier for users to distinguish between real people and AI-generated personas.
Instagram is replacing its existing “AI creator” label with a new “AI-generated profile” designation. The company said the previous label could be misunderstood as referring to a real human creator who simply uses AI tools to produce content.
Under the new policy, profiles featuring AI-generated people will be required to display an “AI-generated profile” badge directly beneath the account handle and display name in the profile header.
Instagram will also apply the label to content, including posts, Reels and Stories, associated with AI-generated influencers.
Accounts that fail to disclose that the person featured is AI-generated could face restrictions on their distribution. Instagram said content from such accounts may no longer be recommended to non-followers through Reels, Explore and feed suggestions.
“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,” Instagram said.
“They want to know when a profile features an AI-generated person.”
The move comes as AI-generated influencers and synthetic personalities become increasingly common across social media platforms, raising concerns about transparency and the potential for users to mistake artificial personas for real people.
The announcement also follows criticism of a previous Meta AI feature that allowed users to generate images using other people’s likenesses without their explicit consent. Meta later removed the tool following backlash.
The latest policy forms part of a broader push by Meta to address concerns surrounding artificial intelligence and online safety.
Last week, the company agreed to an $18 billion settlement with U.S. states and territories over allegations that Facebook and Instagram harmed children. Under the settlement, Meta agreed to introduce additional measures aimed at protecting young users, including default daily time limits and nighttime restrictions.
The new Instagram labels could make AI-generated influencers more transparent to users while making it harder for synthetic accounts to build audiences by presenting AI-created personalities as real people.
