Meta’s tryst with artificial intelligence has so far been incremental, a steady layering of tools meant to make creators’ lives easier. From automated caption generation to editing aids, filters, and remix options, the company’s approach until now has largely been supportive, AI as assistant rather than protagonist. For creators, this meant small efficiencies: less time polishing a reel, quicker iterations of a visual concept, faster captions to keep up with the endless churn of content.
With the arrival of Vibes, however, Meta signals a more radical intent. Here AI is not tucked away in the toolkit but elevated to the very canvas itself, an entire feed composed of synthetic videos. Instead of watching clips shot on phones and edited with digital polish, users scroll through a stream that is wholly imagined by algorithms, albeit seeded and styled by creators. This is a shift from enhancing human-made stories to generating stories out of thin air, collapsing the distance between idea and finished product.
Ambika Sharma, Founder and Chief Strategist, Pulp Strategy says, “Meta’s launch of Vibes is a step up from its earlier AI tools. Before this, most of Meta’s AI features were supportive in nature, like editing aids, caption generation, or remix options. Vibes goes further by making AI the feed itself and placing synthetic content alongside human-created posts. I see both opportunities and risks here. The opportunity is scale. Brands and creators can generate endless variations, reach micro audiences, and experiment faster. The risk is fatigue. If the feed is filled with low quality AI content, audiences will feel it and switch off. Authenticity is still the currency of the creator economy.”
Ambika further highlights, “On monetisation, Vibes feels platform-first. Unless Meta builds in revenue sharing or attribution, creators may only benefit indirectly. Right now, the power sits with Meta to decide how AI generated content is surfaced. For creators, this changes the role from storyteller to curator. I believe sustainability will depend on whether audiences value curation and taste as much as original storytelling. If creators can add their voice, perspective, or brand layer to AI output, Vibes could become an accelerator. If not, it risks reducing creators to traffic managers of AI content rather than creative leaders.”
For creators, the immediate attraction lies in scale and speed. The ability to prototype content rapidly, play with tones, colours, and narrative moods without the cost or time of a shoot makes experimentation frictionless. A creator can spin out dozens of variations before settling on the one that lands. Yet this same abundance carries its risks. Synthetic clips, however engaging, can blur into one another, leaving viewers with a sense of déjà vu. Audiences still hunger for authenticity, and an endless flow of AI-crafted videos may risk fatigue or even distrust if it feels too manufactured.
The economics of this shift remain uncertain. At present, Vibes feels like a platform-first move. The absence of a defined revenue-sharing model means creators are effectively testing grounds, fuelling adoption while the business model crystallises. For now, the payoff is indirect: visibility, experimentation, and perhaps new formats that spill over into Instagram or Facebook proper. But the longer game will hinge on whether Meta chooses to share value with those who power its synthetic feed or keep the control squarely in its own hands.
Ajinkya Pradhan, CTO, TheSmallBigIdea says, “I believe this time, they have AI-only content, barring self-upload video functionality. This can probably change in the future. The current AI model seems to be generated for scaling the volume of content generation. Great way to prototype your content with the right set of visuals, tones, colours, and concepts. This saves expectations vs output delta. Risks are that synthetic videos are fun to watch, but always create a false visual experience; if not regulated can risk brand’s identity. A major risk with any AI or in the digital age is the spread of misinformation. This is where the human element plays a crucial role.”
He further highlights, “Creators who are skilled with prompts and chain of prompts will thrive on creating raw AI generated clips. This is independent of the platform they opt for showcasing their content. Those who struggle with prompts will still be able to generate basic video clips. We can never be sure which content will have traction. In the end, the essence of the story having meaningful connections/impact matters. These tools are developed keeping storytellers/content creators' ease at the forefront.”
Most intriguing is the redefinition of what it means to be a creator in this landscape. Storytelling does not vanish, but the skill set shifts. The craft lies in prompts, in chaining together the right cues to coax an algorithm into producing something distinctive. Some will thrive as virtuosos of AI composition; others may be content curators, layering their own taste and perspective atop what the system spits out. Sustainability will depend on whether audiences find meaning in this new form of authorship or dismiss it as digital trickery.
Vibhor Gulati, Co-founder, Defodio Digital highlights, “Vibes is a big step forward for creators. It brings AI-powered video creation, remixing, and sharing into one place, making it cheaper and easier to produce content. Because it’s built right into the app itself, it feels seamless and it opens the door to more engaging, high-quality videos that have real potential to go viral and reach new audiences. An AI-only feed like Vibes is both exciting and risky. It makes content faster to produce, sparks new creative ideas, and allows more personalised engagement. But it also raises concerns about authenticity, repetitive “AI slop,” bias, and copyright issues. For creators and brands, the key will be using AI smartly while keeping the human touch that audiences actually connect with.”
Vibhor further adds, “Right now, Vibes is clearly platform-first. Meta hasn’t announced direct payouts, so creators should treat it as a tool rather than a destination. The real opportunity lies in using Vibes to test ideas, draw attention back to Instagram and Facebook, and even package AI-driven creativity for brand work. Until Meta rolls out revenue sharing, the economics will remain tilted in the platform’s favour. Vibes changes the role of creators. They’re no longer just storytellers, but also curators of AI-generated content. This opens up new creative possibilities, but the long-term success will depend on how well creators keep their own voice intact and blend human creativity with AI output.”
Vibes, then, is less a feature than a test of the future. It asks whether creators and audiences are ready for a feed where human vision is mediated, even overshadowed, by machine imagination. It compresses production, democratises access, and opens creative floodgates, but also concentrates control within the platform that curates the feed. Whether it sparks a renaissance of new visual storytelling or devolves into a blur of synthetic sameness will determine not just the fate of Vibes but the next chapter of the creator economy itself.
