In recent years, Meta has rolled out numerous AI features across its apps, including experiments with AI-generated characters that had their own profiles and personalities, which were later abandoned due to being perceived as creepy and unnecessary.
In a new initiative that may not be well received by users, Meta aims to utilize AI to enhance interactions among friends by assisting them in writing comments on Instagram.
Jonah Manzano, a user on X who frequently tests new social media features, discovered a prompt labeled “Write with Meta AI” on Instagram. This feature provides AI-generated suggestions for comments on users’ posts.
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Users participating in the test will notice a pencil icon next to the text box under a post, which they can tap to access Meta AI, as shown in a video shared by Manzano. Meta AI will analyze the image and generate three comment suggestions.
For instance, if the photo features someone smiling with a thumbs up in their living room, Meta AI might suggest comments like “Cute living room setup,” “Love the cozy atmosphere,” or “Great photo shoot location.” If users are not satisfied with the initial suggestions, they can refresh for more options.
A Meta spokesperson told TechCrunch via email, “We regularly test additional features to enhance your experience with Meta AI across our apps. Beyond direct messages, you’ll find Meta AI available for comments, feeds, groups, and searches to make your interactions more enjoyable and useful.”
While Meta has not provided specific details on the availability of this testing feature, the company mentioned it had previously tested AI-generated comments on Facebook last year.
This new feature may be unwelcome to users who prefer to keep Instagram comments free from AI influence, particularly those who feel their friends deserve authentic feedback rather than AI-generated responses. Many users reminisce about a time when Instagram felt more genuine, with less pressure to perform, making the introduction of AI comments seem inauthentic and unnecessary.
As with any test feature, it remains unclear when or if Meta intends to expand this feature more broadly.
It’s important to note that Meta has previously experimented with AI in comments, including AI-generated comment summaries on Facebook last year.
SOURCE: TECH CRUNCH
