Instagram adds auto-captions, including in BM

Instagram rolls out auto captioning for videos using AI, starting with 17 languages including BM and Bahasa Indonesia. — Reuters

Instagram will now use artificial intelligence (AI) to generate captions for videos on its app, starting with 17 languages including Bahasa Malaysia.

The social media service tweeted the new feature was meant to make it more accessible for those in the deaf or hard-of-hearing communities.

Users who usually mute the app while browsing would likely also find this feature useful.

The captions can be toggled on or off, with the option located in the app’s advanced settings section.

TechCrunch confirmed that the auto-generated captions was launching in 17 languages, namely English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Arabic, Vietnamese, Italian, German, Turkish, Russian, Thai, Tagalog, Urdu, Bahasa Malaysia, Hindi, Indonesian and Japanese.

Instagram also told the portal that support for more languages would be coming soon, with the AI expected to improve as it learns.

TechCrunch noted that this feature comes following a range of features copied from competing short video service TikTok. These include Instagram’s Reels short video feature and Remix feature, which is similar to TikTok Duets.

This feature also follows a range of updates to Instagram’s video sharing strategy moving forward, which included ending IGTV as a standalone app and IGTV ads, and focusing on shorter videos with Reels.

“Keep it short. Our community loves short, entertaining videos, and creating reels is the best way to do this,” it advised content creators.