Meta lets Instagram users become AI image subjects

Did you know that the photos you post on Instagram might be used to teach artificial intelligence? Meta, the company that owns Instagram, is now letting people create new images using pictures from public profiles. This is a real change in how your information might be used online.

Here is how it works. When you use the AI tool, the computer learns from photos on Instagram. It can create new pictures based on the real photos it has learned from. The company says you can turn this off in your privacy settings. If you do not want your photos used, you can choose to opt out.

However, privacy groups around the world are not happy. They say this new tool could be a recipe for disaster. What does that mean? It means there are many ways this tool could cause problems. Someone could use your photo to make a fake image of you. They could make you look like you said something you never said. They could create images that are not true.

The company says people should not worry. Meta explains that there are rules to stop bad uses. But privacy experts are not sure these rules are strong enough. They want the company to do more to protect people.

This is a big question for the internet today. Should companies use our photos to teach artificial intelligence? Should we have more control over what happens to our pictures online? These are questions many people are asking right now.

What would you do? Would you turn off this setting on your profile?

Inspired by reporting from BBC News.