Instagram is cracking down on AI influencers who don't self-identify as AI

Instagram will now force AI accounts to use an "AI-generated profile" label.

Meta Instagram is pushing AI creator accounts to put an "AI-generated profile" label on their profile.

If they don't do it, Instagram will tank their reach.

This doesn't mean you can't make an AI creator army (please don't) — you just have to label the profiles if you want reach.

Instagram wants people AI creators to start being more transparent about, uh, being AI — and will start cracking down on accounts that look like real people but are actually AI.

Sort of.

There's already an "AI Creator" label that accounts can select for their profile.

But that was an option, an opt-in type of thing.

Now, Instagram is telling AI creators that if they don't put on that label, their content won't get recommended into the algorithm.

Basically, Instagram is telling these AI-generated accounts: fess up to being AI, or we'll tank your reach.

They're also tweaking the label from "AI Creator" to "AI-generated profile," which is more accurate and less easily confused with a real human who posts about the topic of AI.

That's probably a good thing for (real) users on Instagram.

"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's blog post on the announcement says.

Reasonable! The kind of AI creators that this is targeting are accounts that look like real people — often beautiful women — and post the kind of photos or videos that lifestyle influencers might do.