It started as a routine product drop. Then the PR nightmare began. Now it’s gone.
On Friday, Meta announced that a new feature that allowed users to generate AI images from public Instagram posts is no longer available. Users learned of this feature on Tuesday when Meta announced Muse Image, the Meta Superintelligence Lab’s first image generation model. Muse Image is available through Meta AI.
“Our goal was to provide a useful creative tool and give people control over whether their public content can be viewed in this way. We’ve heard feedback that this feature misses the mark, so it’s currently unavailable,” Mehta said in an Instagram blog post.
Meta announced the tool in a press release on Tuesday. Instagram
Other Muse Image features are still available, including the ability to edit photos directly.
Instagram users immediately slammed the feature after it was rolled out. They said it raised privacy concerns and created a space for deepfake content. Many users shared advice on how to opt out of this feature on social media sites such as X and Reddit.
Privacy advocates like Apar Gupta, founding director of the Internet Freedom Foundation, criticized Meta in a video posted to X on Friday.
“Just because Mehta owns the largest social media platform and we are forced to use it, they use that as an excuse to violate our consent and privacy time and time again,” Gupta said.
Entertainment organizations also criticized the feature. SAG-AFTRA, the union representing about 160,000 entertainment and media professionals, called on its members to opt out of the feature.
“Anything less than a clear and conspicuous OPT-IN for this type of use of Instagram users’ images is unacceptable and is a complete miscalculation of public sentiment regarding the obvious danger and harm inherent in such use,” SAG-AFTRA said in a statement to Business Insider.
Unions praised Meta’s decision to withdraw this feature. “We all know the dangers of non-consensual digital replicas, and any feature that facilitates that behavior is unwise. We value repeal. It is the responsible course of action,” the union said.
Creative Artists Agency, a talent group representing many A-list stars, also criticized the feature. “An individual’s name, image, likeness, voice, or creative work may not be used by third parties, including AI models, without explicit written consent,” the agency said in a statement shared with Variety. “True innovation puts creators first. It respects their rights, protects their livelihoods, and gives creators real control rather than handing power over to platforms.”
AI is a source of tension for celebrities, some of whom worry that it could be used to steal their likeness, voice, or iconic phrases without their consent. Celebrities like Matthew McConaughey and Jeremy Clarkson have registered trademarks to protect their likenesses from AI.
Like Meta, OpenAI also faced backlash after releasing Sora 2, an AI video generation platform, in 2025. The platform initially allowed users to create content featuring trademarked characters, but it drew ire from entertainment companies such as Studio Ghibli. OpenAI secured a partnership with Disney to legally use these characters, but Sora 2 was shut down in March.