Meta Shuts Down Instagram AI Training “Muse Image” After Backlash

Well, that didn’t take long. Days after launching the shocking “Muse Image” feature, Meta has killed the feature entirely. It was supposed to let anyone use your public content to create AI slop without your knowledge. And not surprisingly, the backlash was fierce.

What Happened

Meta confirmed to Reuters that the Instagram account-reference feature is no longer available.

“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.”

“Missed the mark” is an understatement if you ask me, but what else to expect from a company that isn’t exactly known for accountability, respecting privacy, and all those nice things.

When Muse Image was launched, SAG-AFTRA told its members to opt out almost immediately after launch. They said that “anything other than a clear and conspicuous OPT-IN for these types of uses of Instagram users’ images is unacceptable” and I couldn’t agree more. They called out Meta’s “utter miscalculation of public sentiment regarding the obvious dangers and harms inherent in such use.”

According to Variety, Creative Artists Agency (CAA) went straight to Meta on behalf of its clients, stating that “no one’s name, image, likeness, voice or creative work should be used by any third party, including AI models, without clear, documented consent.” Once again, I couldn’t agree more! I’ve also seen multiple posts on Instagram, in different languages, teaching people how to turn the feature off. It completely exploded and I think we were all pretty terrified and furious.

But There’s a Catch

Muse Image itself isn’t going anywhere. Are you surprised? Yeah, me neither. As Tech Republic notes, the feature is still powering image generation across Meta AI, Instagram, and WhatsApp. It’s specifically the @-mention feature that’s dead. You know, the one that lets strangers tag your public account and pull your photos into their prompts without your knowledge. I’ll still take it as a win. For now.

Should You Still Check Your Settings?

Yes. Obviously yes. It’s tempting to let this slide and move on, but don’t. The feature was live for less than a week, but it was live. Someone thought it was a good idea, and enabled it by default for every public account on the platform, including ones run by or featuring kids. I still can’t grasp this.

The @-mention feature may be gone for now, but “for now” is doing a lot of work in that sentence. Keep an eye on your settings and the news. We’ll be watching, too.

[via Tech Republic]

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