Meta is testing AI-generated images and content for users on Facebook and Instagram. During its recent annual developer conference, Meta Connect, the company revealed that select users will start seeing AI-generated images of themselves appearing in their feeds on both platforms.
Integrating AI content into users’ feeds will serve as a fascinating experiment to gauge their willingness to encounter AI-generated images of themselves in posts they didn’t personally create.
This initiative also offers a preliminary insight into how Meta envisions the evolution of its social media feeds as AI becomes increasingly woven into everyday life.
This expansion builds on the “Imagine Me” feature, which was launched in beta in July, enabling users to generate AI selfies for direct messages, feeds, stories, and profile pictures.
The AI-generated content appearing in users’ feeds may reflect “your interests or current trends,” as stated by the company. Some of this content could include AI-created images of the user themselves.
A Meta spokesperson informed reporters that, “Imagined content featuring your face can only be created for those who have enrolled in Meta’s Imagine Yourself feature, which involves uploading photos and agreeing to its terms.”
Furthermore, “Content created specifically for you by Meta AI is exclusively visible to you, though you have the option to share it with friends and family.”
Users can easily opt out of viewing these images by clicking the three dots located in the top right corner of a post.
By selecting “hide,” they can prevent similar posts from appearing in their feeds, while choosing “stop seeing this content” will disable suggestions for AI-generated images of themselves.
Matt Navarra, a social media consultant and industry analyst, emphasized to BI the importance of Meta finding a “balance between AI-driven features and authentic user-generated content.”
Navarra commented on the feature expansion, noting, “The novelty aspect might boost engagement and encourage users to spend more time on the platform.”
However, he added that the sustained response hinges significantly on the quality and relevance of the AI-generated content.
He expressed concerns that if the content becomes mere “AI slop” in users’ feeds, it may not maintain long-term engagement and could lead to further challenges for Meta.
Navarra further remarked, “Should users find the content intrusive or redundant and not closely related to their preferences, they are likely to lose interest.”
He also pointed out that users might feel uncomfortable with their images being incorporated into AI-generated content or become concerned about how personalized the experience may get.
In a recent episode of “Hard Fork,” Kevin Roose, co-host of The New York Times podcast, described the new feature as “the creepiest thing I can imagine them doing.”
Roose illustrated his point during the podcast by saying, “Picture this: you and a friend are chatting about fishing, and suddenly, after clicking on a few fishing-related posts, you find yourself scrolling through Instagram and spot an AI-generated image of yourself dressed in fishing gear.”
He then quipped, “You’d probably want to toss your phone into the nearest body of water and vow never to log in again.”
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