Instagram's viral flash filter might be more sinister than it seems

If you've been anywhere near Instagram over the last few days, you've probably seen a bunch of retro-looking flash photos that, with their saturated and overexposed tones, must have been taken on an old compact. Except they weren't – this is Instagram's new flash filter, and it's already a massive hit.

The filter is part of Instagram's new 'Create with AI' feature, and uses Meta's AI tech to change the look of the photo. At a glance, the results are impressive – these look very much like vibey film snaps. But there's a catch.

To use the filter, open Instagram and head to your profile. Hold down the 'Your Story' bubble, select 'Add to story', select the photo you want to add the effect to, select 'Browse effects' and choose 'Flash'.

But when it comes to the downsides of the feature, the clue is in the 'Create with AI' name. Yep, this filter isn't just making a few innocuous to lighting and colour sliders. It's using generative AI to change your image – and countless users have noticed it making unwelcome additions or subtractions. Not even your face is safe.

Being an AI tool means the flash filter is subject to the biases of the tech. Across the board, AI has a stereotyping problem, and it's alarming to see that Instagram's flash filter has not only altered scenes and faces, but in some examples even changed skin tone and ethnicity.

So if you're going to use the Instagram flash filter, perhaps stick to landscape and location shots – unless you're happy for the AI to decide whether it likes your face or not.