Instagrammers have long used all kinds of filters and tricks to add sparkle to their photos. So it may have come as no surprise that parent company Meta offered new generative AI effects to take your content to a different level.
However, following criticism, Meta withdrew key features of the new tool.
A few days after launch, the company disabled the ability for AI users to tag Instagram accounts and have the new system generate images featuring photos of those accounts.
Even if Instagram users are aware of this feature, they must manually opt out to prevent other users from generating photos with their content.
In a statement emailed to CBC News just after 7 p.m. ET on Friday, a Meta spokesperson said, “We’ve heard feedback that this feature misses the mark and is no longer available.”
Meta first launched Muse Image on Tuesday, announcing it will add more than 30 new effects to Instagram Stories and messaging platform WhatsApp. It will also be available on Facebook and Messenger later.
“These effects transform your photos with just one tap,” the Instagram blog says, touting it as “the first AI image generation model from Meta Superintelligence Labs” and being developed by Muse Video.
However, it was not talked about as an innovation.
Muse Image is currently only available on Instagram Stories and WhatsApp in the US, but Canadians can use some new features directly on the Meta AI website.
However, the initial announcement disappointed some by revealing that Meta AI permissions would be automatically turned on for users with public accounts in other countries, including Canada, and would need to be turned off manually.
As of last publication, Meta had not answered whether Instagram’s controversial tagging feature would return in the future. After it was first announced, users and privacy experts quickly raised red flags and shared guides on how to opt out.
“People don’t like their images being used in ways they haven’t given their permission to,” Katrina German, founder and CEO of Ethical Digital, told CBC News.
And while some people may use the feature for fun, she worries there are many others who will abuse it.
Here’s what you need to know about Muse Image and how to change your Instagram settings.
How do I turn it off?
So let’s get down to business. This is why you clicked on the article, but at the time of last publication, Meta did not indicate whether users would automatically opt in to future AI features.
Permissions for Muse Image and Meta AI to use your photos to generate images are automatically turned on, even if you don’t use the tools yourself.
This is separate from turning off Meta AI’s search assistant or chat bot on Instagram.
Currently, this can only be turned off on mobile devices. Go to “Settings & Activity” and scroll down to the “Share & Reuse” section.
There you will see Meta AI permissions.
The first is “Enable content reuse using Instagram and Meta’s AI capabilities.” This applies to both posts and reels that include profile photos. If you want to deny permission, you must toggle each one off.
The next permission is “Allow Meta AI to create with, and reuse, original audio.”
You can also easily make your account private if you haven’t already done so.
According to Meta, Instagram accounts are set to private by default for users under 18, and children under 16 must have their parent or guardian’s permission to make their account public.
How may my photo be used?
Meta calls Muse Image an “intelligent creative partner” that allows users to apply preset AI-generated effects based on prompts, whether it’s restoring an old photo or dressing someone in a different outfit.
Mehta said there’s also an option to create your own effects using prompts.
You can do this with anyone’s photo by simply mentioning their account using the @ symbol and their username.
The Liberal government has introduced legislation that would restrict young Canadians’ access to social media unless companies can prove their platforms are secure. The Safe Social Media Act also aims to limit access to AI chatbots by young people.
According to Meta, this is for “fun” ideas like “personalized birthday cards, group travel memes, and playful edits between friends.”
AI-generated creations can be shared on Instagram Stories.
Muse Image is not yet available to Instagram users in Canada, but Meta provided the option to test the tool on the Meta AI website by uploading a photo or mentioning a public account on Instagram.
So why should we worry?
Katrina German says such tools allow anyone, anywhere to use images of strangers “in whatever way they want.” She believes this is of particular concern to public figures and parents of young children.
But she also says it’s a “game changer” for people in online spaces to have to manually opt out.
“Before, we were creating content for ourselves and our viewers,” she said. “And now, almost everything you create is in the public domain unless you opt out.”
She says Meta already collects a lot of data from its users.
Since 2024, Meta has been training its AI models using usernames and details, as well as text, images, audio, and video from public posts on Instagram and Facebook. Its history is said to date back to 2007.
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Meta Canada said in a statement to CBC News early Friday afternoon that there are guardrails. This statement was issued before the company disabled the tagging feature.
“Muse Image includes strong technical protections designed to stop the generation of content that violates our policies,” a Meta spokesperson said in an email, adding that offensive content “is subject to removal.”
“If you find an image generated offensive, you can report it by long-pressing on the image, selecting the ‘Dislike’ option, and selecting the reason for reporting. ”
Do other platforms have AI image tools?
Many AI image and video generation tools come from companies like Google Gemini’s Nano Banana 2 and Anthropic’s Claude, or are built into popular creative applications like Adobe Photoshop and Canva.
OpenAI, the owner of ChatGPT, shut down its image generator Sora earlier this year, six months after its September launch, citing concerns about deepfakes and non-consensual images.
The most notable social media companies include X, owned by Elon Musk, and Grok, an integrated AI chatbot. XAI has been widely criticized for allowing Grok users to manipulate people’s photos, often posing them sexually without their consent.
Grok then published these images in response to X’s post.
Canada’s Privacy Commissioner investigated Grok and its AI image generation tool and found that it was “launched without adequate safeguards or due consideration of potential privacy violations.”
A jury found that Meta and YouTube were negligent in the design and operation of their platforms in a lawsuit aimed at holding them accountable for harm caused to children who use their services.
