Meta is facing a backlash over its new AI tool Muse Image, which can generate pictures using other people's profile pictures without telling them. The feature, available through the Meta AI app and web browser, as well as on WhatsApp and in Instagram Stories for US users, is one of many text-to-image tools publicly available – but its use of Instagram profile pictures is new and powerful.
While Meta says users can opt out of their image being used even with a public account, privacy campaigners have called it a "recipe for disaster". Donald Campbell, advocacy director at tech justice non-profit Foxglove, told the BBC: "We've already seen a catalogue of harms from non-consensual AI-altered images on social platforms just in the past year. It is hard to see why Mark Zuckerberg thinks facilitating yet more of this creepy image manipulation is a good idea."
“Meta faces backlash over Muse Image, which uses public Instagram profile pictures without consent, dubbed a 'recipe for disaster'.”
The feature is likely to face heightened scrutiny as regulators and campaigners raise concerns about AI-generated images. Ofcom is currently investigating X over Grok's role in creating and sharing non-consensual AI-altered images of real people. Privacy International also criticised the feature, telling the BBC it was "the latest sign AI companies see people's images and data as raw material to be exploited".
One user wrote on X: "Pulling real users into generated photos without explicit consent is a privacy landmine waiting to detonate." Meta said a dedicated setting, separate from account privacy controls, allows users to opt out even if they have a public account. To do so, users must go to Instagram's settings menu, select "Sharing and Reuse" and switch off "Allow people to reuse your content on Instagram and with AI features at Meta" for posts and reels. These settings only appear if you have a public account – if your account is private, it will already be unable to be shared.
In a blog post covering the announcement, Meta said the tool uses "advanced reasoning to understand complex prompts, seamlessly blending multiple photos into high-quality creations you can download and share anywhere". The company said users can also choose from presets and suggested prompts to "spark ideas", as well as sketch edits directly onto images. While the tool is free for "everyday creation", Meta said heavier users may face limitations – though the company did not specify what those limitations are.
The outcry comes as Meta enters a crowded market of AI image generators, but its integration with Instagram gives it a unique and potent edge. As one user put it, the tool has turned public profile pictures into raw material without explicit consent – a privacy landmine that, for now, remains undetonated but waiting.