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Instagram's AI-generated profile label: what it is and what to do (2026)

Since 31 August 2026, Instagram stops recommending accounts fronted by an AI-generated person unless the account carries its “AI-generated profile” label. What's known, what isn't, and what to do.

Last checked 15 October 2026. General information, not legal advice: check with whoever signs off your compliance.

The short version

If your Instagram account is fronted by an AI-generated presenter, switch on its “AI-generated profile” label. Instagram said on 31 August 2026 that accounts like this without it lose eligibility for recommendations: their Reels stop reaching people who don't follow them yet. Labelled accounts keep their full reach.

What changed

The label used to be called “AI creator”. Instagram renamed it “AI-generated profile” and tied recommendations to it. When this was reported, enforcement was due to start within weeks.

What isn't clear yet

Only press coverage was found, not a page from Meta, and reports disagree on whether it applies in the US only or everywhere. Treat it as applying to you: the label costs nothing, and in the EU the AI Act asks for a visible label anyway.

Where to switch it on

It's a setting of the account itself, in the Instagram app's settings for that account. Apps that post for you can't read or set it, so someone with the account's login has to.

In ViralBrand, a persona that posts to Instagram asks for it to be switched on, and keeps reminding you until someone says it is.

The label on each Reel is a separate thing

Each Reel can also carry Instagram's “AI info” label, which apps posting through Instagram's API can set. Have both: one is about the account, the other about each video.

TikTok and YouTube

Both say a correct AI label doesn't reduce a video's reach on its own. What they push down is mass-produced, repetitive content, so give each video something of its own to say.

Sources

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