Artists Leave Instagram For New App Called Cara After AI Training Updates

Around 800,000 artists migrated from Instagram and Facebook to a new social media app called Cara due to Meta’s recent policy updates regarding the use of content to feed artificial intelligence products.

The tech giant explained in its recent privacy updates on generative AI that content uploaded by users will be used to train Meta’s AI, reportedly to begin June 26. The document states that they will use public data and also “information shared on Meta’s Products and services.” Meta explains that the “information could be things such as posts or photos and their captions.”

The recent updates and the difficulties in opting out reignited debate among artists in multiple forums, social media channels, and Reddit, where artists started to consider the new social media app called Cara, created in 2022 by photographer Jingna Zhang, as a solution.

According to a TechCrunch article published just a few days ago, at the end of May, Cara had 40,000 users. About a week later, on Sunday, Zhang announced on X that the app just reached almost 800,000 users—that’s a staggering 1,900% increase, signifying that artists worldwide are joining the new community hoping for better treatment of their artwork and data.

What Is Cara? Why Artists Prefer This Social Media App

Cara’s interface looks like a mix between Instagram, and X, and it also reminds users of the platform Tumblr. On its About page, Cara includes a statement assuring its commitment to prioritizing human-created content over AI content. “With the widespread use of generative AI, we decided to build a place that filters out generative AI images so that people who want to find authentic creatives and artwork can do so easily.”

Its creator, Zhang, also gained popularity a few weeks ago as she won a copyright infringement case against artist Jeff Dieschburg after two years of legal battle for using her photograph to create a painting without her consent. Dieschburg won a prize and showcased his artwork at an international exhibition, claiming that his work was different and that the image was easily found on the Internet.

“This win means a lot—not just for me but also for artists & photographers everywhere,” said Zhang on Instagram after winning the case, “I want to thank Luxembourg & its judicial system for upholding copyright protection for an individual, especially in time of AI where our rights seem to be quickly eroding.”

Artists who believe in Zhang’s efforts to build better apps for creative humans started building their portfolios on Cara, despite the app facing technical issues due to the massive user growth in recent days. Users have also started a donation campaign promoting the app’s account on BuyMeACoffee and sending money with encouraging messages for the team to help them develop the app sustainably.