Instagram CEO worried about AI content, said it would be a threat to social media

Instagram head Adam Mosseri says that content created with artificial intelligence is becoming a major challenge for social media. He says that AI images and videos are improving so rapidly that it will soon be difficult to distinguish between real and fake content. This could impact the platform's credibility. Therefore, Instagram will have to adapt rapidly.

AI content poses the biggest risk to Instagram

In a 20-slide carousel post shared on December 31st, Adam Mosseri stated that the biggest threat facing Instagram is that the world is changing rapidly and the platform has failed to keep pace. 

Looking ahead to 2026, he stated that authenticity can now be copied unlimitedly. Tools like Google's Nano Banana and OpenAI's Sora have made AI videos and images accessible to ordinary users. This makes AI content a significant risk to Instagram's future.

It will be difficult to differentiate between real and fake

Adam Mosseri said that while it used to be assumed that photos and videos captured real moments, that's no longer the case. He believes that in the future, we'll have to start with skepticism rather than simply trusting what we see. 

He warned that while Instagram's AI may initially do a good job at identifying content, it will become increasingly difficult over time. In the future, camera companies may secure real photos with cryptographic signatures.

Instagram user behavior has changed

The Instagram head also said that the platform's old image is gone. People used to post polished, perfect photos on their feeds, but now most personal moments are shared in Direct Messages. 

These include blurry photos, shaky videos, and unadorned candid moments. Adam Mosseri described this as a raw aesthetic, saying that beautiful-looking content has become cheap and boring to look at.

Instagram needs to change itself quickly.

According to Adam Mosseri, the value of authentic content will only increase in the age of AI. The question will no longer be whether you can create it, but whether you can create something that only you can. 

He added that Instagram will need to develop tools to label AI content, verify authentic content, and demonstrate the credibility of the post. Furthermore, it will be essential to continuously improve the ranking of original content to ensure the platform remains relevant in the face of a surge of AI.

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