Meta Withdraws Instagram's AI Feature Muse Image Due to Privacy Backlash

Instagram's AI-generated image tool, Muse Image, has been removed due to user backlash over its potential for privacy concerns. The tool was capable of generating images using a person's likeness without their consent. Users had the option to opt out of the feature.

Meta has withdrawn Muse Image, an Instagram AI feature built by Meta Superintelligence Labs, just days after launch amid a privacy backlash. The tool let users generate AI images by mentioning any public Instagram account, drawing on that account's public photos as visual references, and it auto-enabled itself for every public profile rather than requiring explicit opt-in consent.

The rollout drew swift criticism from talent representation groups: SAG-AFTRA urged Instagram users to opt out, calling anything short of clear opt-in "unacceptable," while Creative Artists Agency described the launch as irresponsible. Meta responded with a blog post acknowledging the feature "missed the mark" and pulled it days after introducing it.

The episode lands alongside separate EU scrutiny of Instagram and Facebook's engagement design, underscoring the compliance pressure Meta faces across its AI and platform roadmap. The swift reversal could blunt regulatory follow-through, but it also signals Meta may need tighter consent review before future Meta Superintelligence Labs product launches.