Meta has launched a new artificial intelligence image generation tool called Muse Image that automatically allows other users to reference public Instagram photos when creating AI generated images, unless account holders manually opt out of the feature. The tool, developed by Meta’s Superintelligence Labs, is rolling out across Meta AI, Instagram, and WhatsApp, with Facebook and Messenger expected to follow in future updates.
Muse Image functions as a text to image generator that lets users create pictures based on written prompts, but with a distinguishing feature that sets it apart from competing tools. Anyone using the tool can tag or mention a public Instagram account within their prompt, allowing Meta AI to pull that account’s public photos into a newly generated image. According to the company, this could be used to build personalised graphics such as invitations or stylised images referencing a person’s likeness, all without the person whose photos are used needing to upload anything themselves.
The setting enabling this reuse is turned on by default for public Instagram accounts belonging to adults, meaning users must actively navigate to their account settings to disable it if they do not want their content used in this way. Private accounts and accounts belonging to users under 18 are automatically excluded from the feature and cannot be referenced through Muse Image. Users concerned about how their public photos may be used can opt out by opening Instagram, tapping the menu icon on their profile, selecting Settings and Activity, scrolling to Sharing and Reuse, and turning off the toggle labelled Allow People to Use Your Content on Instagram and With AI Features on Meta, which may require separately disabling toggles for posts and reels depending on the app version installed.
The rollout has drawn criticism over its default opt in approach and the lack of any notification system for users whose content is reused. According to reporting on the feature, individuals whose public photos are pulled into an AI generated image receive no alert when this happens, leaving them unaware unless they happen to come across the resulting image themselves. Opting out of the setting also only prevents future use of a person’s content, meaning any AI generated images created using someone’s photos before they disabled the setting will remain in circulation regardless of the change. Privacy advocates have pointed to this combination of default opt in status and lack of notification as raising concerns around consent, with some warning that the feature could lower the barrier for creating misleading or non-consensual images using a person’s likeness without their knowledge.
Meta has framed Muse Image as part of a broader update bringing more than 30 new AI powered creative effects to Instagram Stories, alongside interface updates allowing users to preview AI effects before applying them to their own content. The feature is currently being rolled out starting in the United States, with the company yet to confirm a timeline for wider international availability, including whether or how the default settings might differ in regions such as the European Union where stricter data consent regulations apply.
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