Meta has just removed its most contentious AI image generation feature only days after it was released.
Meta is presenting this situation as "hearing feedback," rather than addressing a consent issue.
A few days ago, I reported on Meta's announcement regarding Muse Image, an AI tool allowing users to create images based on someone’s Instagram profile without obtaining permission from the account holder.
I also pointed out the potential risks involved in another article, as well as the procedures for opting out. Just three days later, the feature has been withdrawn.
In a statement from Meta: "Earlier this week, we revealed that one method for people to generate images in Meta AI is by @-mentioning public Instagram accounts they wish to reference. Our aim was to offer a valuable creative tool and to allow users to control whether their content could be referenced in this manner." – Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) July 10, 2026.
What transpired here?
As awareness of Meta’s Muse Image spread, particularly concerning how it assumed users were agreeable to having their Instagram pictures referenced for generating AI images, the tool faced significant backlash.
There were options for users who wanted to protect their likeness, but the default setting was enabled, meaning millions of public Instagram users were automatically included in a system capable of producing AI images of them without their explicit consent.
However, in a statement to Puck News’ Dylan Byers, Meta acknowledged that the feature “missed the mark” and is now “no longer available.”
What was Meta’s response?
“Earlier this week, we shared that one approach for generating images in Meta AI is by @-mentioning public Instagram accounts that users wish to reference,” Meta explained in a statement to the outlet.
“Our intention was to provide a helpful creative tool and give people control over whether their public content could be referenced in this way. We’ve received feedback indicating that this feature was not successful, so it will no longer be available.”
Byers notes that the backlash from talent agencies, particularly CAA, one of the largest in the entertainment industry, may have influenced the decision to roll back the feature.
While I would have argued that the better solution would have been to set it to off by default for all Instagram accounts and allow users to opt in if they wished, the feature is now gone, and I believe it will remain so.
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Meta has just removed its most contentious AI image generation feature only days after it was released.
Meta introduced a feature that allowed anyone to create AI images of public Instagram users who were automatically opted in but later retracted it.