Meta has swiftly withdrawn a controversial AI image generation feature, Muse Image, just days after its launch, following widespread criticism over its use of public Instagram accounts as fodder for AI-generated visuals.
The move on Friday came less than a week after the parent company of Instagram and Facebook rolled out the tool, its first image-generation model available through the company’s artificial intelligence assistant, Meta AI.
Unlike other AI apps that create images based on user suggestions, Muse Image automatically made photos posted on all public Instagram accounts usable by the AI tool as a reference when creating new images.
This sparked immediate privacy concerns.
"Our intent was to provide a useful creative tool and to give people control over whether their public content could be referenced in this way," Meta said in a statement. "We’ve heard the feedback that this feature missed the mark, so it’s no longer available."
The feature's rollout led to a flurry of social media posts flagging privacy concerns and instructing Instagram users how to opt out.
Hollywood also quickly raised concerns, with the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) urging its members to change Instagram settings to protect their likeness.
In a statement on X, SAG-AFTRA applauded Meta’s decision to shut off the feature.
"With the dangers of nonconsensual digital replicas well known to all, a feature that encouraged that behavior is unwise," the union said. "We appreciate its discontinuance. It is the right thing to do."
