Meta has cancelled a new AI image feature on Instagram in response after it used personal pictures to train its systems without clear consent, sparking days of protests.
The tool, part of Instagram’s AI suite, generated images based on text from captions but was removed within a week of its launch.
EU officials now urge audits on Instagram’s addictive design elements, pointing to new research about user engagement tactics.
Regulators in Brussels flagged concerns that customised timelines and never‑ending feed risk might harm emotional health, particularly for youth.
At the same time, UK high street chains blame Instagram for swift expansion with rapid growth, with one entrepreneur saying one Q&A post on the app boosted her chain.
Elsewhere, rapper Latto’s matching clothes with her baby daughter gained massive attention on the platform, collecting millions of views.