Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has spent the past several years positioning itself as both a metaverse pioneer and an AI powerhouse. Yet its latest initiative integrating AI-generated Reels into Instagram and Facebook has triggered a backlash not from regulators or watchdogs, but from the very ecosystem of founders, executives, and creators it depends on.
Entrepreneurs across Silicon Valley, New York, and global tech hubs are openly roasting the move, warning that Meta’s new feature represents less a bold leap forward and more a desperate attempt to fill feeds with artificial engagement. Their criticisms reveal broader anxieties about AI’s role in creativity, the declining trust in Meta’s platforms, and the existential question of whether social networks are drifting too far from the authentic connections that once defined them.
Meta’s Strategy: Why AI Reels?
Meta’s embrace of AI-generated Reels is not happening in a vacuum. The company faces relentless competition from TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and a wave of smaller apps capturing young audiences with short-form, visually engaging content. While Meta retains massive global scale, it has struggled to hold cultural relevance among younger users.
AI, in this context, is positioned as both solution and differentiator. Meta envisions a system where users can instantly generate Reels using text prompts, remix existing content with AI filters, or let AI suggest trending formats. By lowering the barrier to content creation, the company hopes to flood its platforms with fresh videos, extend engagement times, and maintain dominance in the short-form space.
On paper, the logic is sound: if creators hesitate to produce content daily, AI can step in to supplement the flow. In practice, critics argue, the plan risks breaking the fragile trust between audiences and creators by filling feeds with synthetic, repetitive, and inauthentic material.
Founders Push Back: Innovation or Noise?
The most vocal critics of Meta’s AI push are startup founders who built companies on the promise of authentic digital experiences. For them, Meta’s strategy signals desperation.
One SaaS founder quipped on X: “Meta is basically saying, ‘We can’t get you to make Reels, so we’ll make them for you.’ That’s not innovation, that’s noise at scale.” Others warned that AI-generated videos could commoditize creativity, making every feed look the same and eroding the unique voice that once set individual creators apart.
Several founders in the creator economy space fear that Meta’s approach undermines the very premise of their businesses, which rely on empowering real people to share content. If AI replaces human spontaneity, entire industries built around influencer marketing and digital authenticity may face existential threats.
Executives Worry About Brand Damage
Corporate executives also voiced skepticism. For brands investing heavily in influencer campaigns and user-generated content, the prospect of algorithmically generated Reels poses a reputational risk.
A CMO of a consumer goods company described it bluntly: “We pay influencers for authenticity. If audiences think everything in their feed is AI-generated, trust collapses. Why would we put ad dollars there?”
For advertisers, the concern is not simply about content quality but about erosion of credibility. AI-generated Reels could create a sea of indistinguishable videos, making it harder for genuine campaigns to stand out. Worse, if AI tools churn out misleading or inappropriate material, brands risk association with controversy.
Executives also flagged operational issues: AI-generated content at scale raises intellectual property questions, moderation challenges, and potential backlash from users who feel manipulated. In industries where reputation is paramount, these risks outweigh the potential upside of cheaper content.
Creators Feel Betrayed
Perhaps the sharpest criticism comes from the creator community itself. For years, Meta has courted influencers and digital creators with monetization tools, visibility boosts, and promises of partnership. Now, many feel sidelined.
Creators argue that AI-generated Reels diminish the value of their work. If AI can produce endless streams of videos at no cost, why should Meta invest in real people? Several influencers have compared the move to Spotify flooding playlists with AI-generated songs technically abundant, but artistically hollow.
The worry is not hypothetical. If feeds become dominated by synthetic videos, creators fear a decline in engagement metrics, fewer opportunities for organic growth, and shrinking payouts from Meta’s monetization programs. For those who built careers on these platforms, the new direction feels like a betrayal.
The Authenticity Crisis
At the heart of the backlash is a crisis of authenticity. Social media platforms originally thrived on the promise of connecting people to people friends, family, peers, and aspirational figures. Over time, algorithmic curation diluted this, prioritizing engagement over connection. AI-generated Reels, critics argue, are the logical but dangerous endpoint of this trajectory: content with no human behind it, optimized only for attention.
Skeptics ask: if a platform becomes dominated by synthetic videos, does it cease to be social media altogether? Without a sense of realness, users may disengage, migrating to smaller platforms where authenticity still matters.
The Competitive Context: TikTok and Beyond
It’s important to compare Meta’s AI experiment to its competitors. TikTok, while algorithmically driven, still relies heavily on human creativity. Trends emerge organically from communities, even if amplified by recommendation engines. By contrast, Meta risks short-circuiting that process by inserting machine-generated content directly.
Smaller platforms like BeReal and Gas gained traction precisely by emphasizing authenticity. While their longevity is uncertain, their rise shows a hunger for real connections in contrast to the increasingly artificial feel of Meta’s products. If Meta’s AI Reels strategy backfires, it may accelerate user migration to rivals.
Ethical and Regulatory Questions
AI-generated Reels also raise pressing ethical and regulatory questions. Who owns AI-created content? How will Meta prevent deepfakes, misinformation, or offensive material from flooding feeds? Regulators in both the U.S. and Europe are already scrutinizing AI use in consumer platforms, and Meta’s track record with privacy and safety leaves little margin for error.
If synthetic Reels are used to spread political propaganda, manipulate markets, or impersonate public figures, Meta could face regulatory penalties and political backlash. Critics warn that the company has once again prioritized growth over governance, risking scandals that could have been avoided with more cautious rollout.
Why Meta May Press On Anyway
Despite the roasting, Meta is unlikely to abandon its AI push. The company has a history of absorbing criticism while pushing forward consider the early skepticism around the Facebook News Feed, Instagram Stories, or even Reels themselves. Meta’s scale allows it to experiment aggressively, often outlasting criticism through sheer persistence.
Moreover, AI-generated content offers significant advantages for Meta’s bottom line. It ensures a constant supply of videos, keeps users engaged longer, and reduces dependence on creators demanding higher payouts. In a world where engagement drives advertising revenue, these incentives are powerful.
The Bigger Picture: Tech’s Love-Hate Relationship With AI
The roasting of Meta’s AI Reels push is not just about one feature. It reflects a broader ambivalence in the tech industry. Founders and executives simultaneously embrace AI as transformative while fearing its commoditizing effects. AI promises efficiency but risks eroding the human elements that differentiate products and brands.
For some, Meta’s move is a case study in what happens when AI is deployed without nuance. Instead of augmenting creators, it risks replacing them. Instead of empowering brands, it risks undermining them. Instead of making platforms more engaging, it risks making them sterile.
A Warning, Not Just a Roast
The harsh response from founders, executives, and creators should not be dismissed as mere roasting. It is a warning about the limits of AI in social media. Technology can automate content, but it cannot automate authenticity. Platforms built on human connection cannot survive by replacing people with algorithms.
Meta’s AI-generated Reels may achieve short-term engagement gains, but the long-term risks are profound: alienated creators, skeptical advertisers, regulatory scrutiny, and users who no longer trust what they see in their feeds. If social media becomes indistinguishable from machine output, the very essence of the medium is lost.
In the end, the question is not whether AI can generate Reels it clearly can. The real question is whether anyone will still want to watch them once the novelty fades.
