Instagram head Adam Mosseri on AI challenge: ‘Authenticity will matter more than ever’ – Crypto News – Crypto News
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Instagram head Adam Mosseri on AI challenge: ‘Authenticity will matter more than ever’ Instagram head Adam Mosseri on AI challenge: ‘Authenticity will matter more than ever’

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Instagram head Adam Mosseri on AI challenge: ‘Authenticity will matter more than ever’ – Crypto News

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Instagram head Adam Mosseri has warned that the rapid rise of artificial intelligence-generated images and videos could fundamentally reshape how people perceive content on the platform, pushing authenticity to the centre of its future strategy.

In a reflective post shared at the end of December, the Meta executive suggested that AI is advancing so quickly that distinguishing real photos and videos from synthetic ones may soon become extremely difficult, forcing Instagram to adapt at pace.

AI content seen as a growing risk

AI-powered image and video generation dominated online trends in 2025, driven by tools such as Google’s Nano Banana and OpenAI’s Sora app. Instagram has also leaned into this shift with its Edits app, aimed at supporting AI-led content creation. Despite this, Mosseri believes the technology poses a serious long-term challenge.

“The key risk Instagram faces is that, as the world changes more quickly, the platform fails to keep up,” Mosseri wrote in a 20-slide carousel post on December 31. “Looking forward to 2026, one major shift: authenticity is becoming infinitely reproducible.”

Mosseri said AI-generated media could be the most transformative change he has witnessed, surpassing previous technological shifts that altered how users interact with the app.

From trust to scepticism

Mosseri acknowledged that the basic assumption people once held about digital media is eroding. “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 is going to take us years to adapt,” he said. “We are going to move from assuming what we see is real by default to starting with scepticism.”

While Instagram may be able to identify AI-generated content in the short term, he warned that detection will become harder as the technology improves. Over time, he expects a shift towards cryptographic signatures at the point of capture, allowing real images and videos to be verified rather than trying to spot synthetic ones after the fact.

The decline of the polished feed?

Mosseri also challenged the long-standing perception of Instagram as a home for carefully curated personal moments. According to him, those polished posts have largely moved out of the public feed and into private messages.

He noted that most personal sharing now happens through direct messages and often features blurry photos, shaky videos and unflattering candid shots. Describing this trend as a “raw aesthetic”, Mosseri argued that highly polished imagery has lost its appeal.

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“Flattering imagery is no longer valuable,” he said, calling it “cheap to produce and boring to consume”. As a result, the focus is shifting from technical perfection to individuality, moving the bar from “can you create?” to “can you make something that only you could create?”

How Instagram plans to respond

Looking ahead, Mosseri said Instagram must evolve quickly to remain relevant in an AI-saturated environment. He outlined several priorities for the platform, including better tools to respond to AI content, clearer labelling and stronger signals of credibility.

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“We need to build the best reactive tools. Label AI-generated content and verify authentic content. Surface credibility signals about who’s posting. Continue to improve ranking for originality,” he said.

Key Takeaways

  • AI-generated content is reshaping perceptions of authenticity on social media.
  • Instagram must develop tools to label and verify content to maintain user trust.
  • The shift towards a ‘raw aesthetic’ indicates a change in user preferences away from polished imagery.

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