On Tuesday, Meta launched “Muse Image,” a new AI image-generation feature that allows users to create original images, edit existing photos, and even generate custom ads directly within its apps. The tool is being integrated across Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger, marking another step in the company's push to embed generative AI into everyday social media use.

But one capability has quickly become the center of controversy. Muse Image allows users to generate AI images using photos from public Instagram accounts. As long as a person’s profile is public, another user can tag that account and use their images as part of an AI-generated creation. Only private accounts and accounts belonging to users under 18 are automatically excluded from the feature. This means that any adult with a public profile — whether they are a photographer, influencer, or casual user — could find their likeness or original photography incorporated into AI-generated content by strangers.

One huge concern is consent. Users may have no idea that their public photos can be incorporated into AI-generated images by strangers, and they aren’t even notified when someone reuses their public content. Plus, making it easy to manipulate people’s images opens the door to misuse, harassment, impersonation, and nonconsensual image editing. For example, a user could take a photo of a person from their public feed and transform it into a deepfake-style image, or use it in a context the original subject would never approve of.

If you’re looking to opt out of this, here’s how you can do it.

How to opt out of Meta’s Muse Image generator

• Head to your profile and click the three horizontal lines in the top-right corner.
• Scroll down to “Sharing and reuse.”
• Look for the option that says, “Allow people to use your content on Instagram with AI features on Meta”
• Toggle the setting off for both posts and reels.

The setting is applied per account, so users must repeat this process for each profile they manage. Once turned off, your existing public photos will no longer be eligible for inclusion in new AI creations, though Meta has not clarified whether previously generated images that used your content will be removed or altered.

The broader context: AI and user data

Muse Image arrives at a time when AI tools are being increasingly integrated into social media platforms. Snapchat launched its own generative AI features, while TikTok has experimented with AI avatars and video generation. As tech companies race to roll out new generative AI capabilities, many experts argue that stronger privacy protections and greater transparency are needed, so users fully understand how their photos and personal data are being used. The current approach often relies on an opt-out model, which places the burden on users to find and disable settings they may not even know exist.

Public skepticism around AI is already high. According to a Pew Research Center survey, 35% of respondents said they’re more concerned than excited about the growing use of artificial intelligence. Only 18% said they were more excited than concerned, while the rest were ambivalent. This cautious sentiment is fueled by high-profile incidents of AI misuse, such as the spread of deepfake pornography and disinformation campaigns.

Additionally, Meta’s track record on user privacy has also fueled skepticism surrounding its latest AI feature. In 2019, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) imposed a $5 billion fine against Facebook, concluding that the platform had violated a 2012 consent order by misleading users about how much control they had over their personal information. This followed a high-profile scandal where political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica gained access to data from up to 87 million Facebook users through a personality quiz app. Facebook’s platform policies at the time allowed developers to collect information about those users’ friends without their knowledge or explicit consent. The Cambridge Analytica scandal became a watershed moment for data privacy, leading to global regulatory scrutiny and a renewed push for comprehensive privacy laws.

The Muse Image feature also raises questions about intellectual property. Photographers and artists who share their work on Instagram may find their images used to train AI models or generate derivative works without compensation or attribution. While Meta has stated that it respects copyright and will respond to takedown requests, the opt-out mechanism does not address the underlying use of images for training the AI system itself. In contrast, some other platforms like Shutterstock and Adobe have established contributor compensation models for AI training data.

Another layer of complexity is the international privacy landscape. Under the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), companies must have a lawful basis for processing personal data, including images. Several privacy advocacy groups have already filed complaints against Meta in Europe over the use of public photos for AI training. Ireland’s Data Protection Commission, Meta’s lead regulator in the EU, has said it is monitoring the situation. If regulators find that Meta has violated GDPR, the company could face fines of up to 4% of its global annual revenue.

For users who want to go beyond the opt-out setting, more extreme measures include making their Instagram account private or deleting their photos altogether. However, these actions may not be feasible for everyone, especially businesses or creators who rely on public visibility for their livelihoods. The incident highlights the ongoing tension between the drive for AI innovation and the need to protect individual rights. Users, privacy advocates, and regulators will be watching closely to see how Meta responds to the backlash and whether the company revises its approach to consent and transparency.

Source: TechCrunch News