Meta disabled its new Muse Image image generator, which had been introduced only recently. It allowed users to create AI images using material from any public Instagram account — it was enough to mention the desired profile with the @ symbol. The account holder’s prior consent was not required, which drew widespread criticism.
In an official update, Meta said it had intended to give users a useful creative tool and the ability to manage the use of their public content themselves. However, the company admitted that the feature “did not meet expectations” and disabled it completely. Until then, opting out had been possible only through account settings.
The new feature was opposed by rights groups and representatives of the creative industries. The National Center on Sexual Exploitation warned that such a mechanism could make it easier to create fraudulent schemes, including sexual extortion using generated images. The U.S. Screen Actors Guild also advised its members to opt out of the feature and published instructions on how to do so.
Questions of privacy and control over image use are becoming one of the key areas in the development of generative artificial intelligence. It is notable that Meta responded almost immediately. For the industry, this is an important signal: user trust is becoming a resource no less valuable than the technologies themselves.
