Meta Deactivates Feature That Let You Generate AI Images Of Any Public Instagram Account

Meta has deactivated a controversial Muse Image capability. When the company introduced the model, it also announced that on Instagram, anybody could tag a public account — including yours, if it is public — and automatically generate AI deepfakes based on its posts. The tagger and Muse Image didn’t even have to ask for your permission. Meta wrote in its launch post that you could @-mention people to use the feature if “you want to design a custom event invitation, mock up a collaborative creative concept or generate a personalized graphic.”

In an update to its announcement for Muse Image, the company said it heard feedback that the capability “missed the mark” and has pulled it down. “Earlier this week, we announced that one way for people to generate images in Meta AI is by @-mentioning public Instagram accounts that they want to reference,” the company wrote. “Our intent was to provide a useful creative tool and to give people control over whether their public content could be referenced in this way. We’ve heard the feedback that this feature missed the mark, so it’s no longer available.”

The tool was met with criticism online as soon as it was announced, especially since you had to opt out if you didn’t want the image generator to be able to create AI deepfakes from the posts in your account. You had to go deep into your Settings menu and toggle off an option that said “Allow people to create with and reuse your content.” It was either that or set your Instagram profile to private. 

According to Variety, it wasn’t just ordinary users who vocally criticized it. Hollywood agency CAA, whose clients include Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep, reportedly raised its concerns directly with Meta. “No one’s name, image, likeness, voice or creative work should be used by any third party, including AI models, without clear, documented consent,” the agency said in a statement. American labor union SAG-AFTRA also encouraged members to opt out. Do you have these organizations to thank for the feature’s removal? Maybe, maybe not. But it’s gone now, and hopefully Meta doesn’t roll out any more AI capabilities that involve usage of your likeness without having to get your explicit permission.