Instagram: How Meta’s A.I. is taking over all of its apps

Users I Just Wanted to Message My Friend. Instagram Tried to Make Me Use Its A.I. Instead. Meta’s obsession with artificial intelligence is making even basic tasks unbearable. Photo illustration by Slate. Images by master1305/iStock/Getty Images Plus and Meta. Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily. Not too long ago, I was messaging a friend on Instagram about hangout plans. The photo app’s DMs are a common place for us to chat, since we frequently share memes with each other there and it usually makes sense to consolidate those communications in one spot. At least, it did until very recently, when we fully beheld the wretched manifestations of Meta’s desperate A.I. push. If you’re still a regular Instagrammer who hasn’t quit in protest of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s Trumpy turn, you’ve doubtless encountered various artificial intelligence integrations in your everyday uses of the app. The primary means by which Meta has encouraged adoption of its A.I. can be generously described as digital force-feeding. Symbolized by a little blue circle, Meta AI is automatically embedded in your Facebook and Instagram search bars. You have no choice as
Read More