Meta is facing criticism after launching Muse Image, a new AI image generator that allows users to create images using public Instagram profile photos.
The feature, currently available through the Meta AI app, web browser, WhatsApp and Instagram Stories in the United States, lets users generate images from text prompts while incorporating publicly visible Instagram profile pictures. Meta says users with public accounts can disable the feature through Instagram’s “Sharing and Reuse” settings, while private accounts are excluded automatically.
The launch is part of Meta’s broader push into generative AI. Like OpenAI, Google and xAI, the company is racing to integrate AI tools across its products, from chatbots to image generation. Muse Image is designed to make AI creation easier by using content people have already uploaded to Meta’s platforms.
That is also where the controversy begins.
Privacy advocates argue that people uploaded profile photos to identify themselves on Instagram, not to become part of an AI image generator. While Meta says users can opt out, critics say consent should come before introducing an entirely new use for personal content.
Digital rights organisations including Foxglove, a UK-based technology justice non-profit, and Privacy International, a London-based privacy advocacy group, have criticised the rollout. They argue that requiring users to find and disable a separate setting places the responsibility on individuals instead of asking whether they wanted their images used for AI at all.
The timing is significant. Governments and regulators are already examining the misuse of AI-generated images, particularly those involving real people. UK communications regulator Ofcom is currently investigating X over concerns related to AI-generated images, reflecting growing scrutiny of how AI tools can be used to manipulate people’s likenesses.
The debate around Muse Image goes beyond one product. It reflects a larger shift taking place across social media. Platforms are no longer just places where people post photos for friends and followers. They are becoming AI ecosystems where existing user content can power entirely new products and services.
For years, the question was who could see what people posted online. AI is introducing a different question. Once something is public, how many new ways can a platform use it?
Source: BBC
