Artists leave Instagram in protest of Meta's AI training policy.
Tiny stones at the start of an avalanche. They loosen, bounce quickly down the slope, and are followed by rolling waves of heavier and heavier stones.
650,000 artists are leaving Instagram in droves after Meta announced it would use public posts to train AI models starting June 26. With no way to opt out, many creatives are switching to Cara, a new app for artists, led by photographer Jingna Zhang. Cara has seen explosive growth, from 40,000 to 650,000 users in just a week. It strictly bans AI-generated content and uses Glaze, a tool from the University of Chicago, to prevent style mimicry in AI training.
While 650,000 users is an impressive 20x leap in user growth, it’s a drop in the ocean (0.03%) compared to Instagram’s 2.4 billion active users. In comparison, Meta's microblogging app Threads, launched as an alternative to X post-Musk takeover, gained over 100 million users in less than a week after its launch in July 2023. This disparity highlights the monumental challenge Cara faces in attracting more users away from established giants.
But — tiny stones.
There are signs that creatives are just tired of being swept under the rug and want these issues addressed. Cara's FAQ states that AI-generated work isn't allowed until "rampant ethical and data privacy issues" are resolved.
The question remains: can the Cara community come to a decision around a suitable resolution?
Just like small stones can trigger an avalanche, today's developments could lead to profound changes.
What do you think the future holds?
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