This story was originally published on Glossy’s sibling publication Digiday.
Some creators said they have a renewed belief in controlling what products they choose to recommend to their followers in the aftermath of Instagram’s Shop the Look rollout — which automatically added product tags and shopping links to posts using AI visual recognition. While some see value in having AI recommend products for consumers based on creators’ posts, most believe the feature needs some honing before a full rollout across the platform.
Instagram tested its “Shop the Look” feature with a controlled user base in late February, but the rollout drew backlash from creators, who argued the feature was poorly implemented and risked compromising their accounts.
The feature moves Meta closer to TikTok’s social commerce model, specifically TikTok Shop. And yet, creators and brands reportedly never consented to the test. It’s unclear if the feature is still live, though two creators Digiday spoke with said they no longer see it on their accounts.
Among them was fashion creator Julia Berolzheimer, who wrote in her Substack that the feature was added to her account without her knowledge or permission in February, and that it was linking people to products she’s never endorsed or vetted including “cheap knockoffs and random items from brands I’ve never heard of, attached to my image, under my name,” Berolzheimer said.
Puck reports that a Meta spokesperson said the company was “running a limited test to collect feedback,” and that the feature pulls products from “business catalogues” and uses AI recognition to identify products similar to the ones creators feature in their posts. Several creators told Digiday they did not earn money off the recommendations. Meta did not reply to multiple comment requests.
“It’s not about being anti-commerce or anti-AI — those things are naturally going to become part of the creator ecosystem, but you have to talk about consent,” said Megan Vasquez, director of influencer strategy at influencer software company GRIN. “It’s about being pro-consent and pro-attribution and preserving what makes social shopping work in the first place: the trust between the audience and the creator.”
Vasquez said it threatens to erode the trust brand creators have built for years, largely because audiences won’t know they didn’t consent to Shop the Look.
“Creators are more than generating awareness. … The audience is confident in them and is confident in purchasing a product they suggest. They’re creating value at the point of discovery,” Vasquez explained. “But the platform is intercepting that with its own links, its own lookalikes and its own suggestions. It’s positioning itself between creator influence and creator monetization — and maybe that’s what it wants, but it’s creating a poor experience overall.”
Lessons in maintaining control and credibility
Of the seven creators, marketers, agents and execs who spoke with Digiday, all of them believe the Shop the Look rollout won’t dramatically change creators’ relationships with Instagram, largely because of how crucial it is for their businesses and how little power they wield over large platforms.
“Since our contracts don’t protect our creators from Meta features, this puts creators and management companies in a really tricky spot,” said Becca Bahrke, CEO of creator management group Illuminate Social. “We are at the whim of the platform and whatever tools or features they roll out.”
Yet some are still choosing to be proactive in the fallout. Hannah Garza, founder of creator talent management group The Hive, is suggesting clients take a “test and learn” approach with the feature.
“My focus is on building frameworks and partnerships that give creators the agency to decide what appears alongside their content, ensuring they are compensated fairly, and safeguarding the trust they’ve worked years to cultivate,” Garza said. “It’s about being proactive rather than reactive — anticipating potential risks before they affect creators’ businesses or audience relationships.”
How to fix it
A CEO of an influencer marketing platform, who requested anonymity in exchange for candor, because Instagram is a client, thinks the AI-powered Shop the Look could be built to serve creators, brands and Meta itself, but said there are steps it should take to ensure success for the full launch.
“I would probably not have it roll out for affiliate-based activations,” they said, adding that Meta should give creators a residual cut on any sales.
Commerce on Instagram is here to stay, but how that commerce integrates with creators’ brands and existing content matters. Vasquez pointed to TikTok, where creators can link to an item in the platform’s shop, and the brand can then boost that content, with attribution preserved.
“Preserve the attribution so the creator can still benefit from it. You’re probably not going to be able to swap in alternatives, because it erodes trust and that’s not what the creator promoted,” said Vasquez.
“I think the only way this works is if, as creators, we have full control and visibility over what gets linked,” said beauty creator Henna Ali. “There needs to be a clear distinction between what I’ve shared versus what’s being auto-suggested on Instagram. Especially as a creator posting beauty content, if I’m not pulling exact or legitimate products, it shouldn’t be shown at all. Transparency with our audience should be a priority.”
Others prefer to step away entirely. Fashion creator Supaya Lucy Hernandez told Digiday that, even if an updated version of Shop the Look allows creators to opt in, she still won’t participate in the program. “My affiliate sales are part of how I make my livelihood. My content being used to drive sales that I make no commissions or haven’t selected or approved feels shady and unfair,” she said.
Some creators suggested the quiet rollout may have been the platform’s way of testing whether the feature would fly.
Some creators, who have varying opinions on how AI should be used in their personal workflows or in their content creation, think there’s still value in Instagram’s tool.
“Once it’s done correctly, I think this is one of the coolest features ever built,” said Keith Bendes, chief strategy officer at Linqia. “If you’re a creator and you wake up and go, ‘I can click a few buttons and back-catalog everything I’ve ever shown in any of my content, automatically search for any affiliate link on this program, assign it to those products for sale and go to sleep, and I’ll make a bunch of money overnight?’ That is brilliant.”
