MENLO PARK, Calif., July 12 (San Francisco News Online) — Meta, the San Francisco-based company behind Instagram, has shut down an AI image-generation feature that let people create images by @-mentioning public Instagram accounts. The company said the tool is “no longer available” after feedback that it “missed the mark.”
What the feature did
Meta said earlier this week that people could use Meta AI to generate images by typing an @-mention for a public Instagram account they wanted to reference. Reuters, in reporting carried by LiveMint, described the feature as Muse Image, Meta Superintelligence Labs’ first image-generation model.
In simple terms, the tool let a user point the system toward a public account and use that account’s public content as part of the image-making process.
How the privacy setting worked
The feature used an opt-out model for public accounts. Coverage from Fox 9 and Variety said users with public accounts who were 18 or older were included unless they turned the setting off. Users under 18 were excluded.
Opt out means the default setting is on, and the person affected has to switch it off to stop it. That setup is often controversial because it puts the burden on account holders to protect their own content.
Why Meta changed course
In a statement quoted by Fox 9, Variety and Reuters via LiveMint, Meta said: “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.”
The backlash came quickly after launch. Variety reported criticism from talent agencies, and Reuters via LiveMint said Hollywood union SAG-AFTRA also objected. CAA later praised Meta’s reversal. Variety quoted CAA as saying, “We applaud Meta for its prompt decision to eliminate the Muse Image feature.”
What changes for Instagram and Meta AI users
For now, people can no longer generate images by tagging public Instagram accounts in this way. Meta has not said in the cited statements whether it plans a new version of the tool or changes to how public content can be used in future AI products.
The episode is a reminder of how fast AI features can run into trouble when they touch public content and personal control. Meta said it wanted to give people more control. Critics argued the opt-out setup did the opposite, especially for public figures and other users whose accounts could be referenced without a direct request first.
