Instagram Chief Adam Mosseri warns online authenticity is at risk amid AI Boom

Instagram Chief Adam Mosseri has shared a 20-slide post on Instagram talking about how authenticity is fading on online platforms as AI-generated content continues to flood our feed. With affordable and easily accessible AI tools, anyone can now create realistic images and videos, bringing challenges for social media platforms like Instagram to manage, filter, and promote good-quality content.

As growing concerns for AI-generated content, Mosseri highlighted that it's harder to judge what’s real, original, or genuinely created by humans. “Nothing Is Real By Default Anymore,” he said. “For most of my life, I could safely assume photographs or videos were largely accurate captures of moments that happened. This is clearly no longer the case, and it’s going to take us years to adapt.”

Mosseri said that people can no longer easily trust what they see online, as there will always be a level of scepticism. He warned that before believing the content is real, people should first question it and consider the source of the content. “This will be uncomfortable – we’re genetically predisposed to believing our eyes,” said Mosseri. 

He further highlights what struggles Instagram is facing currently. Mosseri highlighted that it's the beginning of “infinite synthetic content,” where authenticity will be judged because it is becoming more “infinitely reproducible.” Now, Instagram is struggling to catch up to this rapidly growing trend. He emphasised that the platforms should “label AI-generated content and verify authentic content,” to navigate what’s real or AI-generated. Hence, keep in mind that not everything you see online is credible or authentic, unless it's from a credible source.