Instagram wants you to pay for its AI photo-editing filters

I was having some unfettered fun playing with Instagram’s new filters.

Then I got hit with a paywall.

“Upgrade to Meta One Core to apply more AI effects or wait until tomorrow,” a pop-up said on my screen. Curious, I clicked “Upgrade.”

I was given the option for a free trial of Meta One, a new subscription that unlocks a litany of perks. While Meta unveiled its newest subscriptions in May, the program hasn’t yet been widely rolled out in the US. One of my Instagram accounts was part of a test.

If I accepted the monthlong trial, I could edit more photos on the app using Meta’s AI “effects” it rolled out in July.

After dozens of edits tweaking my…