Meta has abruptly withdrawn a new artificial intelligence feature that let Instagram users generate fake images from any public account, after days of furious criticism over privacy breaches.
The feature, part of the Muse Image tool launched on Tuesday, allowed anyone using the Meta AI chatbot to tag a public Instagram account and instantly create AI-altered content using that account's photos. Users were automatically opted in, meaning their likeness could be used without consent.
“Meta pulled its AI image feature after backlash over automatically using public Instagram accounts.”
The backlash was swift. The Hollywood union Sag-Aftra, representing actors and media professionals, described the feature as an “utter miscalculation of public sentiment regarding the obvious dangers and harms inherent in such use.” Emmy-winning actor Hannah Einbinder, known for Hacks, urged Instagram users to turn it off after discovering it had been activated automatically.
London-based human rights charity Privacy International told the BBC it was “the latest sign AI companies see people's images and data as raw material to be exploited.”
By Thursday, Meta admitted it had “missed the mark” and said the feature was “no longer available.” In a statement, the company added: “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.”
Sag-Aftra welcomed the U-turn, calling it a “win.” A union spokesperson said: “With the dangers of nonconsensual digital replicas well known to all, a feature that encouraged that behavior is unwise. We appreciate its discontinuance. It is the responsible thing to do.”
Meta had planned to integrate Muse Image more broadly across WhatsApp, Facebook and Messenger, and has an AI video tool in development. The company declined to make any further comment.
The reversal underscores the growing pressure on tech firms to give users clear control over how their publicly shared content is used by AI features – a battle likely to intensify as generative tools become more powerful and pervasive.