AI-generated images may soon look real, Instagram head cautions

As artificial intelligence reshapes social media, Meta-owned Instagram's Head Adam Mosseri has warned that the rapid rise of AI-generated images and videos is pushing the platform to adapt faster than ever.

In remarks shared ahead of 2026, Mosseri said Instagram faces growing risks if it fails to keep pace with how content is created, shared, and trusted.

Instagram was initially a service based on photos and videos and continues to do so in their role in the creator economy as a result of influence and digital creators. 

However, for Mosseri, AI-generated content is progressing at such a rate that it may soon be impossible to tell from footage shot on a camera.

On a carousel with a total of 20 slides, posted on December 31, the Instagram head said, “Looking forward to 2026, one major shift: authenticity is becoming infinitely reproducible."

Looking back at the trends, AI-generated images and videos could potentially be the most disruptive thing seen at Instagram, at least in the short term Mosseri added. For now, people will be able to detect it, but it’ll become increasingly difficult after a while.

He went on to joke that camera manufacturers could cryptographically sign an image to prove it’s real, like a kind of JPEG signature.

How does Instagram plan to respond to AI?

As Mosseri highlighted, the focus is no longer on the perfectly done post but on the less-than-perfect ones that are shared via DM on a personal basis. The "raw aesthetic" means that authenticity will outweigh perfection, shifting value towards content only an individual creator can make.