Instagram head Adam Mosseri has warned that the rapid rise of AI-generated content is forcing the platform to evolve faster than ever, as distinguishing real content from synthetic media becomes increasingly difficult.
Speaking about the future of Instagram, Mosseri said that advances in artificial intelligence could soon make it nearly impossible to tell AI-generated images and videos apart from real ones.
He stressed that this shift would make authenticity more valuable than ever.
“Looking forward to 2026, one major shift: authenticity is becoming infinitely reproducible,” Mosseri wrote in a 20-slide post shared on December 31. “The key risk Instagram faces is failing to keep up as the world changes faster.”
AI-powered tools surged in popularity in 2025, with platforms such as Google’s Nano Banana and OpenAI’s Sora driving viral content trends. Instagram itself joined the wave with its AI-powered editing app, Edits.
However, Mosseri warned that this rapid growth could challenge the platform’s credibility.
“For most of my life, I could safely assume photos and videos reflected real moments,” he said. “That’s no longer true. We’re moving toward a world where scepticism becomes the default.”
He added that while Instagram may be able to identify AI-generated content in the short term, it will become significantly harder over time. According to him, future solutions may involve camera manufacturers cryptographically signing images at the moment of capture to verify authenticity.
Mosseri also pointed out a major shift in how people share content. The traditional idea of posting polished, curated images on feeds is fading. Instead, users increasingly share raw, imperfect moments through direct messages.
Calling this trend a “raw aesthetic,” he said polished visuals are losing value because they are “cheap to produce and boring to consume.” What will matter more, he noted, is originality — content that only a specific creator can make.
To adapt, Mosseri said Instagram must evolve quickly by improving tools that identify AI-generated content, verify authenticity, surface credibility signals, and better promote original work.
“We need to build the best reactive tools,” he said. “Label AI content, verify real content, and continue improving ranking systems that reward originality.”