Meta Platforms Inc. (Meta (META)) is betting that artificial intelligence won't just improve Instagram's recommendations — it will fundamentally change what people see on the app. Speaking during Meta's second quarter earnings call, CEO Mark Zuckerberg outlined a vision where AI-generated content becomes a third major source of content on Instagram, alongside posts from friends and creators, dramatically expanding what users can discover.

Meta Wants AI To Become Instagram's Third Content Feed

Today, Instagram primarily surfaces content from two places: people users follow and creators they may not. Zuckerberg said AI is about to add an entirely new category.

"There are already two large sets of content to draw from — first from your friends and the people you follow, and second from creators that you don't follow — but now there is going to be a whole new and nearly infinite universe of personalized content," Zuckerberg said.

He said Meta's newly launched Muse Image and Muse Video models will power that shift by generating highly personalized content tailored to individual users.

"This is going to make our services a lot more useful and engaging for people," Zuckerberg added.

AI Is Already Reshaping Instagram

Meta's AI push is already producing measurable results across Instagram and Facebook.

The company said large language models are improving recommendation systems by developing a deeper understanding of both content and user intent, allowing Meta to surface more relevant posts and videos. On Instagram, global time spent grew at a double-digit rate during the quarter, driven largely by improvements to Feed and Reels recommendations.

Susan Li, Meta's chief financial officer, also revealed that every public Reels and Feed post on Instagram is now automatically processed through a large language model that analyzes everything from topics to tone before feeding those signals into recommendation and ranking systems.

The company also rolled out its largest-ever Reels ranking upgrade, which drove a 15-basis-point increase in Instagram sessions. Meanwhile, more than half of all recommended content in Instagram Feed is now less than one day old — more than double the level seen a year ago.

Why It Matters For Investors

Meta has spent years relying on creators and user-generated content to drive engagement. Zuckerberg's latest comments suggest the company now sees AI-generated content as another long-term growth engine.

If AI can continuously generate personalized images, videos and other media that users find engaging, it could significantly expand the amount of content available on Instagram while keeping people on the platform longer — creating more opportunities to serve advertisements.

The strategy also extends beyond content recommendations. Zuckerberg said AI is already improving ad targeting, creative tools and business performance, reinforcing Meta's broader view that artificial intelligence will become a core driver of future engagement and monetization across its apps.