In our world, warning labels are ubiquitous. These alerts have already made their way onto social media. This week, it was revealed that Meta owned Instagram may soon add a notification that will identify when AI has been used to create content on the platform. App researcher Alessandro Paluzzi shared the screenshot of an Instagram page that stated “the creator Meta said this content was edited or created by AI”.

TheVerge.com reported that the discovery of this AI warning tag comes just a few months after Meta along with Google, Microsoft, OpenAI and other major AI actors including Google made commitments around responsible AI development to the White House.

AI could generate a lot of content, and these labels are crucial.

The AI shortcut is the shortest route. The technology helps create content, such as visuals or other media that people would not otherwise have time for.

Alert: AI Content

Now it is harder to tell when AI played a part in the creation of content. These labels would be an excellent first step to identifying whether AI was involved.

We view the move to a transparent media environment as extremely positive. While AI has revolutionizing potential, the ease of creation and dissemination of fake images and videos can deceive and manipulate public opinion quickly and on a large scale – they have the potential to completely erode trust in the news cycle and what the public perceives as true,” Eduardo Azanza, CEO of software verification firm Veridas, explained via an email.

Azanza noted that deep-fake images and videos have been used to abuse online users. It will be increasingly difficult to tell the difference between real and fake media as artificial intelligence improves.

The public will rely more on personal instinct if there is no label. Misinformation can spread faster. Azanza said that adding labels can increase transparency, and allow informed media consumption.

Are we about to see more AI labels?

Instagram is just the first social media platform to label that content has been generated by AI—but others could follow.

Rob Enderle is a technology analyst at the Enderle Group and believes that the success of Instagram’s move will be determined by their ability to reliably identify AI-generated material created by other people.

It is likely that as tools improve and become easier to use, the number of people who do it will decrease.

If AI generates more and more content, the labeling may become obsolete.

Enderle said that “this warning initially may provide users with peace of mind, and if this happens, then it could be sufficient to create similar warnings and distribute them until AI-generated material becomes more prevalent.”

However, even if AI is commonplace, human creators may seek to stand out—and thus the labels may still be a necessary evil.

Azanza stated that “if we want AI to be successfully integrated into our everyday lives, large and impactful companies must lead in aligning themselves with regulations and standards which ensure accountability and responsibility.” This will help us build the trust of the public in this technology, and make it work for the good.