Why some artists are fleeing from Instagram for this new app

For years, artists of all stripes have relied on Instagram, a Meta-owned platform, to showcase their work and build their audience. Now, a growing number are leaving in protest of Meta‘s policy of using publicly posted art to train its AI models.
This discontent reportedly stems from two key events. First, a Meta executive declared public Instagram posts as part of their AI training data in May.Then, weeks later, European users received notifications that their content would be used for AI training starting June 26, with no opt-out option. While some regions, like the EU, offer avenues to dispute Meta’s data use, artists feel increasingly powerless.

Why artists are up in arm against Instagram

Artists express a sense of being trapped. They rely on Meta’s platforms for exposure but fear their work becoming fodder for AI that could potentially replace them. This isn’t the first fight between creators and AI companies. Artists, along with authors and musicians, have filed lawsuits against companies like Google and Stability AI, arguing that their training data is scraped from the internet, potentially infringing copyrights. AI companies counter with “fair use” arguments, claiming their work is transformative.

What is Cara app taking on Instagram

Faced with limited options, many artists are turning to untested alternatives. Cara, a free portfolio app launched in January 2023, has seen a surge in popularity despite experiencing growing pains. This artist-focused platform offers an Instagram-like interface but prohibits AI-generated art and uses detection technology to discourage scraping.

The Big difference between Cara app and Instagram

Unlike Instagram, the Cara app specifically “filters out generative AI images so that people who want to find authentic creatives and artwork can do so easily”. While Instagram requires AI content to be labelled, it is still permitted and promoted on the app.
“We do not agree with generative AI tools in their current unethical form, and we won’t host AI-generated portfolios unless the rampant ethical and data privacy issues around datasets are resolved via regulation,” Cara’s website reads.
Similarly, Cara app is not focused primarily on social networking but rather showing and sharing visual art.