Instagram’s new feature uses AI to flag photos with offensive caption

The new Instagram feature will alert users when they post a picture with an offensive caption. The feature has already started rolling out to some Instagram users.

Beware of the photo captions you use on Instagram. (Image Source: Bloomberg)

Earlier this year, Instagram introduced a feature to warn users when they post an offensive comment on their friend’s posts. Taking forward the commitment of fighting against online bullying, the Facebook-owned photo-sharing platform introduces another online-safety feature on Monday. The new safety Instagram feature will alert users when they post a picture with an offensive caption. This feature has already started rolling out to some Instagram users and will reach others globally in the coming months.

The new safety feature will notify users when they share a photo or video with an offensive caption. The notification will read as: “This caption looks similar to others that have been reported.” By notifying about such captions, Instagram wants to give users a chance to pause and reconsider their words before sharing a post, the company notes in an official blog post. Instagram is using artificial intelligence (AI) to recognize the different forms of online bullying on its platform.

The feature has already started rolling out to some users.

“When someone writes a caption for a feed post and our AI detects the caption as potentially offensive, they will receive a prompt informing them that their caption is similar to those reported for bullying. They will have the opportunity to edit their caption before it’s posted,” Instagram noted in the blog post.

Instagram also mentioned, “In addition to limiting the reach of bullying, this warning helps educate people on what we don’t allow on Instagram, and when an account may be at risk of breaking our rules. To start, this feature will be rolling out in select countries, and we’ll begin expanding globally in the coming months,” in the blog post.

Instagram has been working on online safety features for quite some time now. Beginning this year, Instagram launched its first-ever safety feature that notifies users before they post an offensive comment on a post. Instagram said, “Results have been promising, and we’ve found that these types of nudges can encourage people to reconsider their words when given a chance.”

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