Meta’s going to put AI-generated images in your Facebook and Instagram feeds

If you think avoiding AI-generated images is difficult as it is, Facebook and Instagram are now going to put them directly into your feeds. At the Meta Connect event on Wednesday, the company announced that it’s testing a new feature that creates AI-generated content for you “based on your interests or current trends” — including some that incorporate your face.

When you come across an “Imagined for You” image in your feed, you’ll see options to share the image or generate a new picture in real time. One example (embedded below) shows several AI-generated images of “an enchanted realm, where magic fills the air.” But others could contain your face... which I’d imagine will be a bit creepy to stumble upon as you scroll.

The examples at the very top of this article include captions that say you can “imagine yourself” as a video game character or an astronaut exploring space. Both images appear to use a person’s photos to create an AI-generated version of them in made-up scenarios.

It’s not clear whether you need to agree to new permissions to enable this feature — or if you can even turn it off. Last week, 404 Media found that using Snapchat’s AI selfie feature gives the company permission to use your face in ads seen only by you (unless you disable the option). It looks like Facebook and Instagram will similarly only show the AI-generated content to you, while sharing remains optional. The Verge asked Meta if privacy options were available but didn’t hear back by press time.

During an interview with The Verge’s Alex Heath, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that adding AI images to your feeds is the next “logical jump” for Facebook and Instagram. “I think there’s been this trend over time where the feeds started off as primarily and exclusively content for people you followed, your friends,” Zuckerberg said. “And you just add on to that, a layer of, ‘Okay, and we’re also going to show you content that’s generated by an AI system that might be something that you’re interested in’ ... how big it gets is kind of dependent on the execution and how good it is.”

Meta says the feature is just a test for now, so it’s unclear how widely or quickly it’s going to roll out. But tossing AI-generated images into our feeds sounds like it will probably take things even further from the space for keeping up with friends that these platforms used to be.