MENLO PARK, July 11: Meta has withdrawn a feature of its newly launched Muse Image artificial intelligence tool following widespread criticism over privacy and the use of public Instagram content.
The company introduced Muse Image earlier in the week through its Meta AI assistant, allowing users to create and modify images with artificial intelligence. One of the features enabled users to reference images from public Instagram accounts while generating new AI content.
The capability quickly attracted criticism because users whose public posts were referenced could potentially have their photographs used in AI-generated creations without being directly notified.
Meta said it had intended to provide a creative tool while giving users control over whether their public content could be referenced. However, the company acknowledged that the feature had not met expectations regarding privacy and user control.
The company subsequently discontinued the feature following the backlash.
The controversy illustrates the growing challenges technology companies face as generative AI becomes increasingly capable of transforming photographs and other online content. Public availability of an image does not necessarily eliminate concerns about how that material is reused, particularly when AI can create new content based on a person’s appearance.
The issue also raises wider questions about consent, identity rights and the safeguards that platforms should provide when artificial intelligence systems interact with user-generated material.
Meta’s decision to remove the feature shortly after its introduction demonstrates how quickly privacy concerns can influence the rollout of new AI products.
The episode could also encourage technology companies to build clearer consent mechanisms and stronger user controls into future generative AI services before releasing them widely.
