Meta has abruptly removed a new AI feature that let users create fake images from Instagram content, after days of backlash over privacy concerns. The feature, part of the Muse Image tool released on Tuesday, allowed anyone with a public account to have their likeness used without permission when others tagged them in the Meta AI chatbot. Instagram users were opted in by default.
Hollywood union Sag-Aftra described the U-turn as a “win”, having urged its members and “all Instagram users” to protect their likeness. It said Meta had made an “utter miscalculation of public sentiment regarding the obvious dangers and harms inherent in such use”. London-based charity Privacy International called the feature “the latest sign AI companies see people's images and data as raw material to be exploited”.
“Meta pulled a new AI image feature after privacy backlash and introduced a suicide alert for teens.”
Meta admitted it “missed the mark”, adding: “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.” The company said Muse Image was limited to Instagram but that more AI features were planned for WhatsApp, Facebook and Messenger, and an AI video tool is in development. It declined further comment.
The same week, Meta also announced it is rolling out a safety feature that will alert parents if their teenager asks Instagram’s AI chatbot about suicide or self-harm. The move signals the company’s attempt to balance creative AI tools with safety measures, even as it faces scrutiny over how it handles user data and welfare.