Meta Inc. announced Friday that it is discontinuing its AI feature that allows users to generate images using their public Instagram accounts, following days of criticism from talent agencies and others over the feature’s opt-out policy.
“Earlier this week, we announced that one of the ways people can generate images with Meta AI is by @mentioning the public Instagram account they want to reference,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement. “Our goal was to provide a useful creative tool and give people control over whether their published content can be viewed in this way. We’ve heard feedback that this feature misses the mark, so it’s no longer available.”
Meta introduced a new Muse Image model on Tuesday that allows users to interact with images of people by simply tagging their own public Instagram account, or any public Instagram account, “contributing to the social experience billions of people already love.”
However, the feature quickly received backlash for its “opt-out” policy, which requires users over the age of 18 with public accounts to disable the feature to exclude their images from the image generation tool. CAA, whose clients include Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep, said it had raised concerns directly with Meta and urged the platform to take a “more rational approach.”
“An individual’s name, image, likeness, voice, or creative work must not be used by third parties, including AI models, without explicit, documented consent,” the CAA said in a statement. “True innovation puts creators first. It respects their rights, protects their livelihoods, and gives creators real control rather than handing power over to platforms.”
SAG-AFTRA, the union representing U.S. performers, also urged its members Thursday to opt out of the feature. “Please take action to protect your likeness,” they wrote on social media.
The reversal comes as AI companies continue to experiment with new features and test the limits of how users’ similarities are collected by their models. OpenAI briefly had a similar opt-out feature on its Sora 2 video model, but it drew similar criticism before changing its policy and ultimately shutting down earlier this year.
Meta’s decision on Friday eased tensions just as new ones emerged within the AI industry. Apple filed a federal lawsuit against OpenAI on Friday afternoon, accusing the ChatGPT maker of stealing trade secrets.
