Meta Pulls AI Feature That Used Public Instagram Photos After User Backlash
Meta has shut down its controversial Muse Image feature just days after launching it, following strong criticism from users over privacy concerns.
The company announced on Friday that it is discontinuing the tool after acknowledging that it did not meet users’ expectations.
In a statement, Meta said:
“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.”
Muse Image was introduced last week as part of Meta’s latest AI tools for Instagram and WhatsApp users. The feature allowed people to edit photos, apply effects, and generate AI-enhanced images.
However, the biggest concern centered on one specific capability. Muse Image allowed users to use photos from public Instagram accounts as reference material for AI-generated images.
Privacy advocates and many social media users quickly criticized the feature because it was enabled by default. This meant that anyone with a public Instagram account had to manually turn the option off or switch their profile to private if they did not want their photos used for AI image generation.
The decision sparked widespread backlash online, with many users arguing that Meta should have required people to opt in rather than automatically enrolling them.
In response to the criticism, Meta decided to withdraw the feature entirely only a few days after its launch.
The move highlights the growing public concern over how artificial intelligence companies use personal content and the increasing demand for stronger privacy protections and user consent.
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