Instagram appears to be exploring the development of a new artificial intelligence (AI) feature that would enable users to create personalized profile photos. A recent leak suggests that the platform, which is owned by Meta, is currently testing functionality allowing users to generate profile pictures using AI models. Details about this feature are still limited, but reports indicate that similar capabilities are also being examined for Facebook and WhatsApp. Additionally, Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, recently revealed the decision to discontinue automatic feed refreshing, a feature that activated when users reopened the app after some time.
Instagram Exploring AI-Generated Profile Picture Feature
Developer Alessandro Paluzzi discovered signs of this upcoming feature within the Instagram app and shared the informative details in a post on Threads. During an update to his profile picture, he came across a new menu option labeled Create an AI profile picture. Alongside the announcement, Paluzzi also provided a screenshot of the menu for reference.
While the specifics of how this feature will function remain unclear due to its developmental status, it is expected to utilize one of Meta’s Llama large language models (LLMs). The feature may operate in two potential ways: enabling users to generate an AI image from scratch using text prompts, or allowing them to transform existing profile pictures into various styles through AI.
This would not be the first AI feature introduced on Instagram. The platform already provides access to Meta AI, a conversational chatbot that operates both in standalone and group chat formats. Furthermore, Meta has implemented an AI rewrite tool for direct messages, allowing users to rephrase their communications with altered tones.
In other developments, Meta has announced that it is testing AI-powered facial recognition technology aimed at identifying fraudulent advertisements on Facebook and Instagram. This technology is designed to detect ads that misappropriate images of public figures to deceive users, with plans to block such ads in the future. Additionally, the company seeks to use this technology for user verification via video selfies, facilitating access to compromised accounts. However, neither of these features is currently available on a wide scale.
