Earlier this month, Meta introduced Muse Image, an AI feature that let users generate images by referencing public Instagram accounts. Adults with public profiles were opted in automatically. Accounts set to private and users under 18 were excluded by default.
Creators pushed back right away. The argument was simple. A feature like this should ask permission before it puts someone’s photos or likeness into an AI-generated image.
Meta pulled Muse Image days after launch and pointed to user feedback as the reason. Other AI editing tools on the platform remain available.
“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. We’ve heard the feedback that this feature missed the mark, so it’s no longer available,” Meta wrote in a blog post.
Hollywood groups call for an opt-in system
SAG-AFTRA and Creative Artists Agency were among the loudest critics. The union told members and other Instagram users to switch the feature off, arguing that AI systems should require clear opt-in consent before using someone’s likeness. CAA took the same position.
“No one’s name, image, likeness, voice or creative work should be used by any third party, including AI models, without clear, documented consent,” CAA said in a statement.
AI consent remains a growing issue
Meta reversed course fast, but the setup is worth remembering. Muse Image went live on public accounts before anyone agreed to it, and switching it off meant knowing it existed in the first place. That’s the pattern creators keep running into as platforms build AI tools on top of user content. Either way, your Instagram privacy settings are worth another look.