$Meta Platforms (META.US)$ has announced a significant policy shift regarding manipulated media on its platforms. The company will now be introducing labels for AI-generated content on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.
What Happened: Meta's new policy, announced on Friday, is a response to feedback from the company's Oversight Board. The board recommended that Meta broaden its approach to manipulated media and provide context through labels.
The Mark Zuckerberg-led company has added photos and audio to its scope of coverage for this policy – only videos were considered before. However, it said it won't automatically remove AI-generated or manipulated content if it is not labeled – it will instead add the labels itself.
Meta's existing manipulated media policy, written in 2020, only covered videos altered by AI to make a person appear to say something they didn't say.
The Oversight Board also advised against removing manipulated media that does not violate Meta's Community Standards, suggesting a "less restrictive" approach through labeling with context.
Meta has been working with industry partners on common technical standards for identifying AI content, and will introduce "Made with AI" labels on AI-generated video, audio, and images.
The company plans to start labeling AI-generated content in May 2024 and will stop removing content solely based on its manipulated video policy in July.
Meta says it will continue to keep this AI-generated content on its platforms and add informational labels and context unless it violates its policies.
Why It Matters: The decision to label AI-generated content comes at a time when the potential for AI to spread misinformation is a growing concern. The move is also in line with Meta's earlier efforts to introduce labels for AI-generated images across its platforms in response to the 2024 election year.
The announcement also follows a series of events that have highlighted the potential for AI to exacerbate election misinformation, such as an AI-generated robocall featuring President Joe Biden that urged New Hampshire voters not to participate in the state's primary election.
