Instagram is adding an AI ‘assistant’ to tell you how to post

Meta is expanding AI tools for creators on Instagram by adding a "creative assistant" to its standalone Edits app. The assistant accesses a user's Instagram account metrics — including likes, views, video retention and shares — and uses those signals to offer tailored suggestions for improving posts. Creators can pose open-ended questions such as what content is trending, why one video outperformed another, or which pieces of content resonated most with their audience.

Beyond diagnostics, the assistant can generate creative guidance: it will propose content ideas, hooks to capture viewers, caption options, trending audio tracks and scripting suggestions for videos. Instagram says the tool can detect patterns over time and provide advice that raw metrics alone might not reveal, positioning the assistant as a bridge between analytics and actionable creative direction.

The move mirrors developments on other platforms. YouTube recently updated its AI-powered creator dashboard — originally announced in 2025 — which offers editing and A/B testing features alongside engagement guidance. The shift toward platform-provided, personalized feedback is notable given past tendencies of social networks to limit or obscure detailed performance data; tools such as CrowdTangle, once used by researchers and journalists to monitor Meta content, have been scaled back or restricted.

Meta is offering the new assistant for free up to usage limits, while directing "power users" toward a paid Meta One subscription for expanded access. The company has framed premium features as one way to fund its broader AI ambitions, raising questions about whether in-depth analytics and actionable feedback will increasingly sit behind paywalls. The Verge reported the announcement and included reporting by Mia Sato.