Meta has abruptly taken down a new feature that allowed people to use its artificial intelligence tool to make fake images from user content on Instagram, after days of blowback over privacy concerns. The feature, part of a broad rollout of the Muse Image AI image generation tool on Tuesday, let users of the Meta AI chatbot tag public-facing accounts on Instagram and quickly use content on those accounts to create AI-generated or altered images. It sparked immediate backlash because Instagram users were opted in by default, meaning anyone with a public account could have their likeness used without their knowledge or permission.
Hollywood union Sag-Aftra described Meta's U-turn as a “win”. It had previously urged its members and “all Instagram users” to take action to protect their likeness, stating there had been an “utter miscalculation of public sentiment regarding the obvious dangers and harms inherent in such use”. The London-based human rights charity 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”.
“Meta has abruptly removed an AI feature that allowed users to alter Instagram content, after privacy backlash.”
Meta admitted it had “missed the mark” and said the feature was “no longer 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,” the company added. “We've heard the feedback.”
Separately, Meta is rolling out a new safety feature that will see parents alerted if their teenager discusses suicide or self-harm with Instagram's built-in AI chatbot.
When Meta announced Muse Image, the firm said it was limited to Instagram, but more AI features and integrations were planned for WhatsApp, Facebook and Messenger. It also has an AI video tool in development. Meta declined to make any further comment.