How “AI Info” Labels Influence Social Media Posting Behavior? Evidence from Instagram

Authors

• Pengkun Wu, Business School, Sichuan University, Chengdu, ChinaFollow
• Yuanxi Liu, Business School, Sichuan University, Chengdu, ChinaFollow
• Yuanyuan Wu, School of Business Administration, Faculty of Business Administration, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu, ChinaFollow
• Yang Liu, Business School, Sichuan University, Chengdu, ChinaFollow

Abstract

AI-generated content (AIGC) has reshaped content creation on social media, prompting platforms to adopt “AI Info” labels as transparency mechanisms. Drawing on signaling theory, this study examines how such labels influence content creators’ posting frequency. Using a propensity score matched difference-in-differences (PSM-DiD) design applied to a panel dataset of 237 Instagram creators observed from January 2023 to December 2025, we find that mandatory AI labeling significantly reduces creators’ weekly posting frequency. This study contributes to AI transparency research by demonstrating unintended behavioral consequences of disclosure policies for content creators, and offers implications for platform governance design.

Recommended Citation

Wu, Pengkun; Liu, Yuanxi; Wu, Yuanyuan; and Liu, Yang, "How “AI Info” Labels Influence Social Media Posting Behavior? Evidence from Instagram" (2026). ICEB 2026 Proceedings (Beijing, China). 44.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/iceb2026/44