Key facts
- Meta's new AI tool, Muse Image, can generate images using public profile pictures from Instagram.
- Users can opt out of their images being used for AI generation via a dedicated setting.
- Critics, including tech justice non-profit Foxglove, have raised concerns about privacy and the potential for misuse.
- The tool is available through the Meta AI app, WhatsApp, and Instagram Stories for US users.
- Meta plans to expand the tool's availability to Facebook and Messenger, and for advertisers.
Meta is facing significant backlash over its new AI image generation tool, Muse Image, which allows users to create pictures using other people's public Instagram profile photos without their explicit consent. The tool, available via the Meta AI app, WhatsApp, and Instagram Stories in the US, has drawn sharp criticism from privacy advocates and tech justice groups who warn of potential harms and exploitation of personal data.
Donald Campbell, advocacy director at Foxglove, described the feature as an "obvious recipe for disaster," citing previous instances of non-consensual AI-altered images on social platforms. Privacy International echoed these concerns, calling it "the latest sign AI companies see people's images and data as raw material to be exploited." Users on X also expressed dismay, with one calling it a "privacy landmine waiting to detonate."
Meta has stated that users can opt out of their images being used for AI features through a dedicated setting in Instagram's menu, separate from general account privacy controls. However, critics argue that this opt-out mechanism is insufficient and that the tool's very existence facilitates the creation of potentially harmful manipulated images.
The feature is expected to face increased regulatory scrutiny, especially as bodies like Ofcom are already investigating platforms over similar issues. Muse Image enters a crowded market of text-to-image AI tools but distinguishes itself by integrating directly with Instagram's vast user base. Meta plans to expand the tool's availability to Facebook and Messenger, and also intends to offer it for use by advertisers. A video-generation version is reportedly under development.