The key risk Instagram faces is that as the world changes faster, the platform fails to keep up. We look forward to 2026, when one fundamental change will occur: authenticity will become infinitely repeatable.
Everything that made creators matter – the ability to be real, to connect, and to have a voice that couldn’t be faked – is now available to anyone with the right tools. Deepfakes are getting better. Al generates photos and videos indistinguishable from captured media.
Power moved from institutions to individuals because, thanks to the Internet, anyone with a compelling idea could find an audience. The cost of disseminating information is zero.
It was individuals, not publishers or brands, who determined that there was a significant market for human content. Trust in institutions is at an all-time low. We used self-made content from creators we trust and admire.
We like to complain about “AI bugs”, but there is a lot of amazing AI content out there. However, even high-quality AI content looks: too slippery, skin too polished. This will change – we will see more realistic AI content.
Authenticity is becoming a sparse resource, resulting in greater, not less, demand for creator content. The bar moves from “Can you create?” to “Can you create something that only you can create?”
If you’re under 25, you probably think of Instagram as a source of square photos: polished makeup, polished skin, and handsome landscapes. This channel is dead. Years ago, people stopped sharing personal moments to feed on them.
Nowadays, people share mostly in chat: blurry photos and shaky videos of everyday experiences. Shoe photos. and unflattering honesty.
This raw aesthetic has permeated public content and various forms of art.
Camera companies are focusing on the wrong aesthetics. They are competing to make everyone look like professional photographers from 2015. But in a world where artificial intelligence can generate great photos, looking professional is paramount.
Flattering images are budget-friendly to produce and tedious to consume.
People want content that feels real. Experienced creators rely on unproduced, unflattering images. In a world where everything can be improved, imperfection becomes a signal.
Severity is no longer just an aesthetic preference – it’s proof. It’s defensive. You can say: this is real because it is imperfect.
Relatively quickly, the AI will create any aesthetic you like, even the imperfect ones, that will look true. At this point we will need to focus on who is saying something, not on what is being said.
For most of my life, I could safely assume that photos and videos were largely true records of moments that had occurred. This is clearly no longer the case and it will take us years to adapt to the up-to-date conditions.
We’re going to move from the default assumption that what we see is real and start with skepticism. Pay attention to who shares what and why. It will be uncomfortable – we are genetically predisposed to believe in our own eyes.
Platforms like Instagram will do a good job of identifying AI content, but will get worse at it over time as AI improves. It will be more practical to fingerprint real media rather than counterfeit ones.
Camera manufacturers will cryptographically sign images as they are taken, creating a chain of custody.
Labeling is only part of the solution. We need to bring much more to the surface
context around accounts sharing content so people can make informed decisions. Who is behind the account?
In a world of infinite abundance and endless doubt, creators who can maintain trust and signal authenticity – by being real, lucid and consistent – will stand out.
We need to build the best inventive tools. Tag AI-generated content and verify its authenticity. Surface trustworthiness signals about who is posting. Continue to improve your originality ranking.
Instagram will need to evolve in many ways, and quickly.