Instagram quietly adds AI-generated headlines to posts, sparking accuracy and consent concerns

Instagram Is Generating Inaccurate SEO Bait for Your Posts

Instagram is generating headlines for Instagram posts that appear on Google Search results. Users say they are misrepresenting them. Instagram is generating headlines for users' Instagram posts without their knowledge, seemingly in an attempt to get those posts to rank higher in Google Search results. I first noticed Instagram-generated headlines thanks to a Bluesky post from the author Jeff VanderMeer. Last week, VanderMeer posted a video to Instagram of a bunny eating a banana. VanderMeer didn't include a caption or comment with the post, but noticed that it appeared in Google Search results with the following headline: "Meet the Bunny Who Loves Eating Bananas, A Nutritious Snack For Your Pet." Another Instagram post from the Groton Public Library in Massachusetts -- an image of VanderMeer's Annihilation book cover promoting a group reading -- also didn't include a caption or comment, but appears on Google Search results with the following headline "Join Jeff VanderMeer on a Thrilling Beachside Adventure with Mesta ..." I've confirmed that Instagram is generating headlines in a similar style for other users without their knowledge. One cosplayer who wished to remain anonymous posted a video of herself showing off costumes in various locations. The same post appeared on Google with a headline about discovering real-life locations to do cosplaying in Seattle. This Instagram mentioned the city in a hashtag but did not write anything resembling that headline. Google told me that it is not generating the headlines, and that it's pulling the text directly from Instagram. Meta acknowledged my request for comment but did not respond in time for publication. I'll update this story if I hear back. "I hate it," VanderMeer told me in an email. "If I post content, I want to be the one contextualizing it, not some third party. It's especially bad because they're using the most click-bait style of headline generation, which is antithetical to how I try to be on social -- which is absolutely NOT calculated, but organic, humorous, and sincere. Then you add in that this is likely an automated AI process, which means unintentionally contributing to theft and a junk industry, and that the headlines are often inaccurate and the summary descriptions below the headline even worse... basically, your post through search results becomes shitty spam." "I would not write mediocre text like that and it sounds as if it was auto-generated at-scale with an LLM. This becomes problematic when the headline or description advertises someone in a way that is not how they would personally describe themselves," Brian Dang, another cosplayer who goes by @mrdangphotos and noticed Instagram generated headlines for his posts, told me. We don't know how exactly Instagram is generating these headlines. By using Google's Rich Result Test tool, which shows what Google sees for any site, I saw that these headlines appeared under the <title></title> tags for those post's Instagram pages. "It appears that Instagram is only serving that title to Google (and perhaps other search bots)," Jon Henshaw, a search engine optimization (SEO) expert and editor of Coywolf, told me in an email. "I couldn't find any reference to it in the pre-rendered or rendered HTML in Chrome Dev Tools as a regular visitor on my home network. It does appear like Instagram is generating titles and doing it explicitly for search engines." When I looked at the code for these pages, I saw that Instagram was also generating long descriptions for posts without the user's knowledge, like: "Seattle's cosplay photography is a treasure trove of inspiration for fans of the genre. Check out these real-life cosplay locations and photos taken by @mrdangphotos. From costumes to locations, get the scoop on how to recreate these looks and capture your own cosplay moments in Seattle." Neither the generated headlines or the descriptions are the alternative text (alt text) that Instagram automatically generates for accessibility reasons. To create alt text, Instagram uses computer vision and artificial intelligence to automatically create a description of the image that people who are blind or have low-vision can access with a screen reader. Sometimes the alt text Instagram generates appears under the headline in Google Search results. At other times, generated description copy that is not the alt text appears in the same place. We don't know how exactly Instagram is creating these headlines, but it could use similar technology. "The larger implications are terrible -- search results could show inaccurate results that are reputationally damaging or promulgating a falsehood that actively harms someone who doesn't drill down," VanderMeer said. "And we all know we live in a world where often people are just reading the headline and first couple of paragraphs of an article, so it's possible something could go viral based on a factual misunderstanding."

Instagram is generating SEO-friendly headlines for user posts

Instagram has begun automatically generating headlines and descriptions for users' posts that appear in Google Search results -- often without users' knowledge and, in some cases, with misleading or inaccurate framing, according to reporting from 404 Media. The issue first surfaced after author Jeff VanderMeer noticed that one of his caption-less Instagram posts -- a simple video of a bunny eating a banana -- appeared in Google search results with a clickbait-style headline that he did not write. Other posts, including one from a Massachusetts public library, were similarly given promotional headlines unrelated to the original content. Google has included more social media content in its search results over the years. Starting on July 10, Instagram made public posts from professional accounts searchable in Google. 404 Media confirmed that this behavior affects multiple users. In another example, a cosplayer's video appeared in search results with a headline about discovering cosplay locations in Seattle, despite the user never writing anything resembling that description. Google informed 404 Media that it is not generating these headlines and instead pulls the text directly from Instagram. Meta, in a statement to the outlet, later confirmed that Instagram has recently started using AI to generate titles for posts shown in search engines, stating that the feature is intended to help people better understand content, while acknowledging that the titles are not always accurate. The company directed users to a Help Center page that explained how to opt out of search engine indexing. Experts cited by 404 Media say the headlines appear to be generated specifically for search bots and are embedded in the page's title tags, meaning regular visitors don't see them on Instagram itself. Users and creators have criticized the practice for stripping their posts of context, misrepresenting their work, and contributing to low-quality, spam-like search results. The reporting raises broader questions about how AI-generated metadata could distort online content and impact creators' reputations.

Instagram Is Adding AI-Generated Headlines to Some Posts

Instagram recently confirmed they are generating the headlines. Few of us are under the illusion that we own the content that we post on Instagram, but we do get a say in how that content is presented -- we can choose which photos and videos we share, what captions appear (or don't appear) on each post, as well as whether or not we include where the image was taken or shared from. We might not control the platform, but we can control the content of our posts -- unless those posts are found on search engines like Google. As reported by 404 Media, Instagram is now experimenting with AI-generated SEO titles for users' posts -- without those users' input or permission. Take this post for example: Author Jeff VanderMeer uploaded a short video of rabbits eating a banana to his Instagram. The video was posted as-is: There was no caption, location tag, or any other public-facing information. It's just a couple of rabbits having a bite. Instagram, however, took it upon itself to add a headline to the post -- at least when you stumble upon it on via Google. Rather than display a link featuring Jeff's Instagram handle and some metadata about the video, the Google entry comes back with the following headline: "Meet the Bunny Who Loves Eating Bananas, A Nutritious Snack for..." (the rest of the headline cuts off here). VanderMeer was less than pleased with the discovery. He posted a screenshot of the headline to Bluesky, writing, "now [Instagram] appears to generate titles [and] headlines via AI for stuff I post...to create [clickbait] for [Google] wtf do not like." This was not the only AI-generated headline VanderMeer was roped into. This post from the Groton Public Library in Massachusetts, which advertises VanderMeer's novel Annihilation as the library's December book group pick, was also given the clickbait treatment on Google. Just as with VanderMeer's post, the Groton Public Library didn't include any text in its Instagram post -- just an image showing off the book. But if you see the post within a Google search, you'll see the following partial headline: "Join Jeff VanderMeer on a Thrilling Beachside Adventure..." 404 Media's Emanuel Maiberg says that they've confirmed that Instagram is also generating headlines for other users on the platform, all without permission or knowledge. Google told Maiberg the headlines are not coming from its AI generators -- though it has been using deceptive AI-generated headlines of its own on Google Discover. In fact, the company says its search engine is simply pulling the text from Instagram itself. Maiberg found that these headlines do appear under title tags for Instagram posts when using Google's Rich Result Test tool. When digging through the code, Maiberg also discovered AI-generated descriptions for each post, which could be what Instagram is ultimately using to generate the headlines. I reached out to Meta for comment, and this story originally published before they responded. However, a Meta spokesperson has since confirmed to me that Instagram has recently started generating these titles using AI. The goal, according to the spokesperson, is to make it easier to know what a post is about before you click the link. They also noted that these headlines might not be totally correct, as with all AI products. In addition, the spokesperson explained that search engine optimization indexing is not necessarily new. The company has been doing this for years in the U.S. to increase visibility for posts from professional accounts. That last point is all fine and good, of course. No one is surprised that Instagram is indexing posts for search engines: Most social media platforms do that. Otherwise, you'd never find any of their posts on platforms like Google. The issue is generating fake headlines with AI without letting anyone know about it. Just because Meta AI is capable of generating headlines doesn't mean it is good at it, or even that it should -- especially when users never consented to this practice in the first place. It'd be one thing if Instagram had an option before you post -- something like "Generate a headline for me using Meta AI that will appear in search engines for my post." Most of us would opt out of that, but it'd at least be a choice. However, it appears that Instagram decided that users like VanderMeer weren't capable of writing a headline as clever as "Meet the Bunny Who Loves Eating Bananas." The worst part is, the AI doesn't even accurately describe the posts, a risk the Meta spokesperson readily admits to. That Groton Public Library post was only about a book club meeting featuring VanderMeer's novel, but the headline says "Join Jeff VanderMeer," as if he'd be making an appearance. Not only did Instagram add a headline without VanderMeer's consent, it spread misinformation about his whereabouts. And for what? Some extra engagement on Google? If Instagram wants its posts to appear as headlines on search engines, it should include the actual posters in the conversation. As VanderMeer told 404 Media: "If I post content, I want to be the one contextualizing it, not some third party." While Meta has yet to add a dedicated on/off switch for these headlines, one thing you can do to ensure your posts don't get an AI clickbait makeover is to opt out of indexing as a whole. If you run an account that relies on discoverability, this might not be worth it, since you'll be impacting how users find your posts outside of Instagram. However, if you don't care about that, or you don't need the SEO at all, you can stop Instagram from making your posts available on search engines -- and putting an end to the AI-generated headlines, at that.

Instagram secretly generates AI headlines for user posts

Meta's Instagram platform is automatically generating AI-produced headlines and descriptions for users' posts without their consent, as reported by 404 Media on a Tuesday. These elements appear in the page code and surface only in search engine results to enhance Google rankings for Instagram content. An Engadget editor observed this on their own posts. The generated headlines and descriptions aim to optimize Instagram posts for better visibility in search engines. They remain hidden from users within the Instagram application itself. Instead, they embed in the underlying HTML structure of the posts, influencing how external search tools index and display the content. This practice operates without notifying or seeking approval from the individuals who upload the posts. Engadget staff writer Sam Chapman shared an example from his own experience. He posted about Bloomhunter, a board game he designed. The automatic system produced a description stating, "Floramino is a cozy puzzle game where you arrange gardens as a traveling florist." It continued, "The demo looks fun, with charming visuals and strategic elements." This output contained a clear inaccuracy, as Bloomhunter differs from Floramino, which exists as a separate puzzle game available on the Steam platform. The erroneous description misrepresents Chapman's creation and could mislead potential viewers searching for his content. 404 Media highlighted additional cases involving public figures and institutions. Author Jeff VanderMeer uploaded an untitled video depicting a bunny consuming a banana. The AI-generated title became "Meet the Bunny Who Loves Eating Bananas, A Nutritious Snack For Your Pet." This phrasing adopts a promotional, search-engine-friendly style typical of content optimized for queries related to pet care or animal behaviors. Such titles transform neutral or personal uploads into generic, clickable summaries that prioritize algorithmic appeal over original intent. A library in Massachusetts promoted a reading event featuring a book by VanderMeer. The post received an auto-generated headline: "Join Jeff VanderMeer on a Thrilling Beachside Adventure with Mesta ...." The ellipsis indicates the title trails off, but it frames the event in adventurous terms that may not align with the actual book or gathering. This alteration shifts the focus toward excitement, potentially drawing unrelated search traffic while altering the post's perceived theme. Cosplayers have encountered similar issues with their content. Multiple individuals reported receiving titles that felt mismatched and artificially produced. Cosplayer Brian Dang commented to 404 Media, "I would not write mediocre text like that, and it sounds as if it was auto‑generated at scale with an LLM." He added, "This becomes problematic when the headline or description advertises someone in a way that is not how they would personally describe themselves." These mismatched portrayals raise concerns about authenticity, especially for creators who rely on personal branding in visual arts like cosplay. Verification of the headlines' placement came through Google's Rich Result Test tool. It revealed the titles within the post's title tags and the descriptions in the "text" section of the code. These elements operate separately from Instagram's alt text feature, which the platform generates to assist users with low vision by describing images accessibly. The SEO-focused additions thus layer an additional, unintended interpretive framework onto the posts. Individuals can check their recent uploads by searching for them in external engines to identify any generated elements. This step allows users to assess whether their content has undergone such modifications without their awareness. Engadget contacted Meta for clarification. The company issued a statement explaining that it "recently began using AI to generate titles for posts that appear in search engine results. This helps people better understand the content that was shared." Meta noted that users have the option to disable indexing on their accounts. However, this action eliminates all search engine visibility, which decreases the chances of others discovering the profile or its posts. The statement further acknowledged, "As with all AI‑generated content, these titles may not always be 100% accurate."