Meta Removes A.I. Feature on Instagram After Days of Backlash; The New York Times, July 10, 2026

Eli Tan, The New York Times; Meta Removes A.I. Feature on Instagram After Days of Backlash

Users and Hollywood agencies raised privacy and copyright concerns about the new tool, Muse Image.

[Kip Currier: Another example that if enough people speak up about a controversial technology issue that really matters to them, tech companies like Meta will -- sometimes -- back off.

The specter of more copyright infringement litigation was also a significant incentive for Meta to "pause" the availability of the AI tool Muse Image on Instagram. Muse Image enables users to create new images by using content accessed via Instagram accounts as "raw material" for generating AI-generated pictures.]

"Meta on Friday paused a new artificial intelligence feature on Instagram that allowed users to generate images based on people’s public accounts, citing widespread criticism.

The feature, which Meta unveiled on Tuesday, automatically opted in any Instagram user with a public account. As a result, countless people’s likenesses were used in A.I. images without their consent. Users complained about privacy and copyright concerns."

Meta Now Lets Anyone Use Your Instagram Photos in AI Images—Unless You Opt Out; Wired, July 7, 2026

Reece Rogers, Wired; Meta Now Lets Anyone Use Your Instagram Photos in AI Images—Unless You Opt Out

"META LAUNCHED ITS inaugural AI image model from the Meta Superintelligence Labs on Tuesday, its effort to compete with the likes of OpenAI’s GPT Images 2.0and Google’s Nano Banana 2 in the AI image generation race.

The new model, called Muse Image, rolled out with deep integrations woven into the Instagram app. As part of this update, public Instagram profiles are now automatically opted into being fodder for generative AI remixes. All someone has to do is tag your account’s profile in a prompt—if it’s public—and they can use Meta AI to generate an image using your likeness."