In recent times, Meta has been actively integrating AI functionalities and features into its range of applications. The company has even explored the development of AI-generated characters, complete with distinct profiles and personalities, before ultimately retiring these due to concerns regarding their perception as “creepy and unnecessary.”
In another initiative that might face criticism from its user base, Meta is planning to employ AI to aid users in composing comments on Instagram. This was discovered by Jonah Manzano, a user of X who frequently experiments with emerging social media features. Manzano observed a “Write with Meta AI” prompt on Instagram, which allows users to receive AI-generated comment suggestions for posts.
According to a video posted by Manzano, those who have access to this experimental feature will see a pencil icon next to the comment text bar on posts. By engaging this feature, Meta AI analyzes the image and provides three prospective comments. For instance, if someone posts a photo of themselves smiling and giving a thumbs up in their living room, Meta AI might suggest comments such as “Cute living room setup,” “Love the cozy atmosphere,” or “Great photo shoot location.” Users have the option to refresh if they find the initial suggestions unsatisfactory.
A representative from Meta informed TechCrunch via email that the company consistently tests features to integrate Meta AI across its applications, mentioning that beyond direct messages, Meta AI also assists in comments, feed, groups, and searches to enhance user experiences.
While Meta did not disclose specifics regarding the availability of this test feature, it noted that the company experimented with AI-generated comments on Facebook in the previous year.
The introduction of this new feature may not resonate well with all users, particularly those who prefer comments on Instagram to remain free from AI influence. Many users value authenticity and might view AI-generated comments as unnecessary or lacking genuineness.
The timetable for a broader rollout of this feature remains uncertain. This development is part of Meta’s ongoing experimentation with AI in comments, which includes previous testing of AI-generated comment summaries on Facebook.
