Meta Discontinues Instagram Muse Image Feature After Privacy Backlash Over Public Account References

Meta discontinued its newly launched Muse Image feature for Instagram after a privacy backlash over how the tool used public Instagram accounts as references for AI-generated images.

The feature was part of Muse, Meta’s new AI image generator released on July 7 and marketed as “the creative partner that knows your world.”

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Meta said in a statement, “We’ve heard the feedback that this feature missed the mark, so it’s no longer available,” after users and labor unions criticized the design and consent approach.

Cybernews reported that the functionality, called the “presets panel,” allowed direct editing of photos from other Instagram users’ public profiles by typing their handles, and that users had to set their profile to private to opt out.

Hollywood union SAG-AFTRA welcomed Meta’s move, saying, “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.”

Privacy International told the BBC that the rollout was “the latest sign AI companies see people's images and data as raw material to be exploited,” linking the controversy to broader privacy concerns.

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The dispute centered on Meta’s opt-out approach, where the feature automatically applied to public Instagram accounts over the age of 18 unless users manually disabled it in their settings.

Creative Artists Agency (CAA) urged Meta to change the feature so users were automatically opted out, stating, “No one’s name, image, likeness, voice or creative work should be used by any third party, including AI models, without clear, documented consent.”

Meta’s rollback removed the ability to generate images by @-mentioning public Instagram accounts, while leaving broader Instagram AI creative tools in place as part of the Muse Image rollout.

Fox Business reported that the Tuesday launch included more than 30 new AI-powered effects for Instagram Stories using Muse Image, and that a redesigned editing composer let users preview AI-generated edits before sharing them.

Meta also said it had an AI video tool in development, and the BBC noted that Meta declined to make any further comment after pulling the feature.

The controversy also fed into wider debates about consent-first approaches for AI image generation, with RNZ quoting Canterbury University senior law lecturer Cassandra Mudgway saying, “Just because someone has chosen to share content publicly does not mean they have meaningfully consented to it being remixed, transformed or reused by AI systems.”