Meta drops Instagram AI image tool after privacy backlash
What's new: Users had been opted in by default, letting public Instagram content be used to generate altered images without permission.
Meta has removed a new AI image feature from Instagram just days after launch, retreating after complaints that it let people turn public account content into fake or altered images without consent. The tool, part of the company's Muse Image rollout in the Meta AI chatbot, allowed users to tag public-facing Instagram accounts and generate new images from that material. Critics said the feature was switched on automatically for public accounts. SAG-AFTRA called the reversal a win and said anything short of a clear opt-in was unacceptable. Privacy International also criticized the tool, arguing AI companies treat people's images and data as material to exploit. Meta said it had "missed the mark."