Meta disables Instagram AI image tool after backlash
The tool let Meta AI users reference public Instagram accounts by tagging them, drawing objections over consent and misuse.
By Maya Lindqvist · Senior Technology Correspondent
2 min read
Meta has shut off an Instagram-linked AI image feature that let people create images by tagging public accounts, The Verge reported Friday. The reversal matters because the tool could draw on content from public Instagram profiles without the account owner approving each use.
Meta announced the feature earlier in the week as part of its Muse Image AI model, according to The Verge. The system allowed a Meta AI user to @-mention a public Instagram account as a reference for an image generation request.
In an update to its blog post about Muse Image, Meta said it had intended to offer a creative tool while giving account holders control over whether their public content could be used that way. Meta said it had heard criticism that the feature “missed the mark” and that the feature was no longer available.
The Verge reported that, before the shutdown, Instagram users could opt out through settings. Critics objected that the default setup placed the burden on public account holders to find and change those settings after the feature had already made their content available for AI referencing.
Haley McNamara, executive director and chief strategy officer of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, criticized the design in a Friday post on X cited by The Verge. McNamara said the feature threatened rights over a person’s likeness and could be used by sextortion schemes and scammers.
McNamara also objected to what she described as a high-risk product design paired with an opt-out process that required individuals to take extra steps. Her comments reflected a wider backlash over consent and misuse risks around AI-generated images tied to real people’s public posts.
The Screen Actors Guild also advised its members to opt out of the Instagram feature while it remained active, according to The Verge. The union posted instructions on X explaining how members could change the relevant settings.
Meta’s decision leaves the company’s broader Muse Image rollout intact, based on the company update cited by The Verge, but removes the specific Instagram account-referencing function. Meta did not describe a replacement consent system in the update quoted by The Verge.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.