Instagram CEO predicts AI frustration will intensify over next two years

Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, told listeners on the Colin and Samir podcast that public anger toward artificial intelligence will likely increase rather than subside. He made the comments while discussing the recent rollout of widescreen and long-form video features on the social network. Mosseri noted that the dislike for AI technology is not limited to young people or creative professionals, but is spreading across the general population.

The executive observed a trend of college students booing tech leaders at graduation ceremonies. He described this as a sign of growing anxiety and frustration. Mosseri stated that the sentiment is particularly strong within creative industries. He does not expect the mood to improve in the near term. “It's not only getting worse, it's going to continue to get worse,” he said. He projected that the next couple of years will bring more anger, though he acknowledged that some of that frustration is justified while other parts are not.

Mosseri addressed how Instagram handles AI-generated material. He claimed the platform does not give AI creators a different ranking status than human creators. However, he admitted that the system may not sort AI material as effectively as it sorts standard content. “There's a lot of great AI content out there, there's also a lot of AI slop,” he said. He questioned whether Instagram ranks AI content as well as non-AI content, answering, “Probably not.” He added that the word “slop” is used too liberally by critics. He had previously mentioned this distinction in a New Year's slideshow post.

The company has taken specific actions to manage AI content in 2026. In the earlier part of the year, Instagram launched a label for AI accounts. In August, the platform began enforcing stricter rules on AI-generated profiles. Misleading material, including celebrity deepfakes, remains a persistent issue. Mosseri said the company is actively working out what to do about these fakes. He maintained that it is not practical for Instagram to ban AI content entirely.

On the podcast, Mosseri explained that Instagram is now requiring AI accounts to label themselves. He said this step is important because people need to know if what they are looking at is real or not. He listed several worries he hears from creators and the public. These include ownership of content, the training of AI models on existing work, and safety concerns. Many people also fear job displacement, a concern that affects content creators, engineers, and mathematicians alike.

Mosseri said the underlying cause of the unease is more basic than technical specifics. He stated that when he has a real heart-to-heart with someone, the conversation comes down to a fear of being left behind in some way. This fear drives much of the current public reaction to the rapid adoption of AI tools in media and social platforms.