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Instagram Lets Users Edit Topics That Shape Their Main Feed

Instagram says advances in large language models let it surface inferred interests so people can add or remove topics to influence recommendations.

Overview

  • Instagram has rolled the Your Algorithm control into the app’s main Feed so users can view and change the topic labels that drive recommended posts.
  • The control is available in-app under Profile → three lines → Content preferences → Your Algorithm and lets users remove topics they dislike or add interests they want to see more of.
  • Instagram says large language models analyze clusters of content and produce human-readable topic labels, which the company uses to show inferred interests to users.
  • The feature currently supports topics only and does not let users request prioritization of posts from accounts they follow, with early testers reporting search errors when trying that request.
  • Company leaders call the move the start of a broader effort to add controls for people, moods, and content types, and the change responds to years of the Feed shifting from followed accounts to AI-driven recommendations that worry creators and some users.