On Monday, Meta unveiled a new tool aimed at increasing transparency across its social media platforms. The company will now include labels on advertisements that indicate whether artificial intelligence (AI) tools were employed to modify images or videos. This AI designation will be visible on all Meta platforms that feature advertisements, such as Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Depending on the extent of AI involvement, these labels will either be positioned in a three-dot menu next to the post or displayed directly beneath the brand name.
In a recent announcement made by the company, Meta provided insights into the new transparency tool. The social media platform disclosed that the development of these labels began last year, and they are now being rolled out to ensure users are informed about the digital alterations made to the content they encounter.
According to Meta, the labels will specifically apply to advertisements created or modified using the company’s proprietary generative AI tools. However, it remains unclear if similar labeling will occur for ads that utilize third-party AI tools for content alteration.
The placement of the AI labels will depend on the degree of AI integration. They can be found either in the three-dot menu or next to the “Sponsored” label. Ads that feature images or videos significantly edited with Meta’s AI tools may appear in either of these locations, while ads utilizing AI-generated photorealistic humans will be labeled exclusively next to the “Sponsored” tag.
The AI label will be identified as “AI info,” which users can click to access more detailed information. Upon selecting the label, a bottom sheet will provide specifics about how the content was modified using AI, along with a general overview of generative AI.
Meta also indicated plans to disclose further details regarding its approach to labeling advertisements that are created or altered with non-Meta generative AI tools. Additionally, the company is looking to develop more transparency measures concerning AI in collaboration with experts, advertisers, policy stakeholders, and industry partners.
