Tech Companies Roll Back AI Features After 3 Days of Backlash
Updated
Updated · WIRED · Aug 10
Tech Companies Roll Back AI Features After 3 Days of Backlash
3 articles · Updated · WIRED · Aug 10
Summary
Meta shut off an Instagram deepfake feature after three days of public outcry, while Google quickly reversed a Google Earth image-editing tool as complaints over unwanted generative AI features intensified.
Gallup polling cited in the report shows familiarity with generative AI increasingly coincides with negative views, with nearly half of Americans aged 18 to 29 saying it does more harm than good.
Much of the backlash centers on consent: users say their data was scraped for model training and AI tools were inserted into search, social media and work software without clear permission.
LinkedIn, Snapchat and Substack have also moved to curb AI content—adding reporting or detection tools and limiting fully AI-generated videos—as brands and local businesses face criticism for AI-made marketing.
Resistance is spreading beyond apps to protests against AI data centers, suggesting public pressure is becoming a broader check on how aggressively tech companies deploy generative AI.