Meta Tests AI-Generated Comments on Instagram, Sparking Authenticity Concerns

Meta spotted testing AI-generated comments on Instagram | TechCrunch

In recent years, Meta has introduced many AI features and capabilities to its apps, even going so far as experimenting with AI-generated characters complete with unique profiles and personalities, before scraping them after they were deemed creepy and unnecessary. In yet another move that may not be received well among users, Meta wants to use AI to facilitate interactions between friends by helping them write comments on Instagram. X user Jonah Manzano, who often tests new social media features, spotted a "Write with Meta AI" prompt on Instagram that allows people to get AI-generated suggestions for comments to users' posts. Users who have access to the test feature will see a pencil icon next to the text bar under a post that they can tap to start accessing Meta AI, according to a video posted by Manzano. From there, Meta AI will analyze the photo before generating three suggestions for comments. For example, if the photo you want to leave a comment on is of someone smiling with a thumbs up in their living room, Meta AI suggests that users comment "Cute living room setup," "Love the cozy atmosphere," or "Great photo shoot location." If users don't like the first three AI-generated comments, they can refresh to get more suggestions. "We regularly test more features for you to use Meta AI across our apps," a Meta spokesperson told TechCrunch via email. "Outside of DMs, you will find Meta AI there for you in areas like comments, feed, groups, and search to make your experiences more fun and useful." Meta did not provide any details of the test feature's availability, but the company noted it tested AI-generated comments on Facebook last year. The new feature would likely be an unwelcome one for users who would rather keep comments AI-free on Instagram, especially those who believe their friends deserve genuine comments as opposed to AI slop. Many users yearn for the days when Instagram was more authentic and there wasn't as much pressure to perform, so the addition of AI comments could be deemed inauthentic and unnecessary. As with any test feature, it's unknown when or if Meta plans to roll out the feature more widely. It's worth noting that Meta has experimented with leveraging AI in comments in different ways, as the company was spotted testing AI-generated comment summaries on Facebook last year.

Meta wants AI to write your Instagram comments

AI is all over social media. We have AI influencers, AI content, and AI accounts -- and, now, it looks like we might get AI comments on Instagram posts, too. What are any of us doing this for anymore? App researcher Jonah Manzano shared a post on Threads and a video on TikTok showing how some Instagram users now notice a pencil with a star icon in their comments field, allowing them to post AI-generated comments under posts and videos. "Write with Meta AI," the tool says, with two subsections: "how to use this tool" and "how it works." Under "how to use this tool," it says, "Get suggested captions based on the photo you're sharing. You can always edit the suggestions or try again." And under "how it works," it claims, "Meta AI can analyse photos, including facial features, to help you write." In the video on TikTok that Manzano shared, three comment options are: "Cute living room setup!" "love the casual vibe here," and "gray cap is so cool." Unfortunately, all three of these are clearly computer-generated slop and take an already shaky human interaction down a notch. It's hard to know why you'd want to remove the human element from every aspect of social media, but Instagram seems to be going to try it anyway. Meta did not immediately respond to Mashable's request for comment.

Meta's AI Will Suggest Comments for Users to Post About Your Photos

Meta is testing an Instagram feature that suggests AI-generated comments for users to post beneath other users' photos and videos. Social media feature tester Jonah Manzano recently uncovered a "Write with Meta AI" prompt on Instagram. This tool offers AI-generated comment suggestions for posts, potentially streamlining interactions but also raising eyebrows from users who are skeptical about AI. According to a video shared by Manzano, users with access to the test feature will notice a pencil and small star icon next to the comment text bar. Tapping it activates Meta AI, which analyzes the post's image before generating three suggested comments. In Manzano's video, a photo of someone on Instagram smiling in their living room while giving a thumbs-up will prompt Meta AI to suggest responses like, "Cute living room setup," "Love the cozy atmosphere," or "Great photo shoot location." If none of the generated comments appeal to the user, they can refresh for alternative suggestions. A Meta spokesperson confirmed the experiment to TechCrunch, stating, "We regularly test more features for you to use Meta AI across our apps. Outside of DMs, you will find Meta AI there for you in areas like comments, feed, groups, and search to make your experience more fun and useful." While Meta has not disclosed how widely this test is being deployed, the company previously experimented with AI-generated comments on Facebook last year. This ongoing effort to integrate AI into user interactions aligns with Meta's broader strategy of enhancing engagement through artificial intelligence. However, the reception to such features remains uncertain. The platform has already faced criticism for losing its original appeal due to algorithmic changes, while many users distrust AI features. At the beginning of this year, Instagram started showing AI-generated pictures of users in their feed, alarming some people. The platform has changed so much that popular photographer Peter McKinnon recently said that it is time to "let go" of Instagram.

Meta Is Experimenting With AI-Generated Comments, for Some Reason

It's no surprise that companies continue to experiment with new AI features. Artificial intelligence has been the center of emerging tech for nearly three years now, and it's not going anywhere anytime soon. But whether you love generative AI or you find it useless, I think we can all agree that using AI to write Instagram comments is pretty stupid. And yet, Meta appears to be testing exactly that. As reported by SocialMediaToday, some Instagram accounts are now seeing a new icon to the left of the text field after choosing to leave a comment on a post. When you tap this icon (a pencil with a star), you pull up a new Meta AI menu, which presents a series of comment choices, presumably based on whatever content you happen to be looking at. In one example, the bot offers three choices: "Cute living room setup," "Love the cozy atmosphere," or "Great photo shoot location." Could there be anything lazier than this? I'll admit: This news took me a bit off guard. I know Meta is comfortable shoving its AI experiments down our throats -- often with no way to turn them off. But even as it becomes more difficult to avoid AI-generated content on Meta's platforms, I didn't think the company would offload the "effort" of having to write comments to the bots. I can't imagine many (or perhaps any) Instagram users are so busy or exhausted that they'd rather scroll through an AI's idea of what to say rather than say something themselves. The human-generated comments on Instagram pages are already low-effort as it is; not to mention, there are too many comments from bots on social media platforms. Do we really want more bots in the comments, only this time sent to us by real people? We need to stop letting AI make the decisions This is just an experiment, and likely a limited one at that. For what it's worth, I do not have the option on my Instagram account, so I guess I'm forced to think up my own comments for now. (Or at least open another app to ask a different AI to generate a comment for me.) But this experiment speaks to the current state of AI in tech: offering solutions to problems that don't exist. Writing comments isn't hard, and yet, someone at Meta thought there was a usefulness -- a market -- for AI-generated comments. They probably want more training data for their AI machine, which tracks, considering companies are running out of internet for models to learn from. But that doesn't mean we should be okay with outsourcing all human tasks to AI. That's what bugs me most: ceding so many of our cognitive tasks and decisions to the machines. If you're on Instagram, you're already letting the algorithm choose the content you see. Please don't hand over even more decisions to the machines, as low-effort as those decisions may be. If you do see the experiment on your end, I encourage you not to use it; both for your own sake, as well as depriving Meta of any more training data generated by its user base for free.

Meta Experiments With AI-Generated Comments, Legitimizing Social Media Bots

For most social media users, bots and AI-generated comments are a nuisance. But while some platforms are working to crack down on AI-generated comments and spam, Meta appears to be embracing them. Instagram Previews AI Comments Feature As first highlighted by social media tester Jonah Manzano, Instagram has started testing a new feature that automatically generates comments on posts. Using the Llama-powered Meta AI, the feature appears to scan images and offer comment suggestions based on their content. Users simply need to select one and post, without having to think of original comments themselves. The pilot feature is the latest example of Meta's AI strategy, which increasingly prioritizes automation over authenticity. Another example of the trend is Meta's AI character studio. But the company also highlights its potential for social media automation, noting that "creators can even build an AI extension of themselves." The feature is aimed at influencers or professional and corporate accounts who might use such bots to drive engagement. Once users have created a chatbot with the appropriate tone, they simply need to turn on AI auto-replies, "so your AI can respond to messages from an audience you select," Meta explained. Social Media Bots While Meta's AI studio is billed as a useful way to keep on top of a packed inbox, AI-generated comments are harder to justify. The professionalization of social media that puts a price on clicks and follows has already generated an influx of fake accounts that at times threaten to overshadow real users. Enabling automatic comments will only make this worse. This is ironic, given the lengths platform operators have gone to to prevent social media spam. Researchers have found that Meta actually has better protection against true bot accounts than many of its peers. But if legitimate accounts can churn out comments at the click of a button, the line between authentic user and automaton is blurred.

Meta's AI Experiment: Instagram Comments Get a Virtual Makeover

AI Is Taking Over Instagram Comments -- Authenticity over Artificial Engagement? Social media giant Meta is once again pushing the boundaries of artificial intelligence integration, this time by testing a feature that generates comments on Instagram posts. The move, spotted by social media trend tracker Jonah Manzano, has already ignited a wave of user concern, with many questioning the value of AI-generated interactions in a space traditionally prized for genuine connection. While Meta claims the tool aims to "make your experiences more fun and beneficial," the prospect of AI-written comments raises questions about authenticity and the potential erosion of significant engagement.