Overview
- Meta launched Muse Image on Tuesday, July 7, and the tool let people @-mention public Instagram accounts so the AI could use those accounts’ photos and videos as image references.
- Users and groups complained that the Instagram implementation was turned on by default and that the opt-out control was hard to find, prompting a rapid backlash from creators, talent agencies and SAG‑AFTRA.
- Meta announced on Friday, July 10, that it would discontinue the Instagram account‑reference capability while keeping the underlying Muse Image model and related AI features available on other Meta properties.
- Critics warned the feature could enable nonconsensual digital replicas and deepfakes because strangers could generate realistic images from someone’s public posts without clear, written permission.
- The episode highlights growing pressure from creators and regulators for explicit opt-in consent, and it raises questions about how Meta will apply identity and privacy safeguards as it expands Muse Image to WhatsApp and the Meta AI app.