Meta's Muse Image lets anyone generate AI photos from public profiles

Meta is drawing fire from privacy advocates over Muse Image, a new AI tool that can generate synthetic images using people's public Instagram profile pictures without notifying them.

The text-to-image generator is available through Meta AI's app and web interface, as well as within WhatsApp and Instagram Stories for U.S. users. The feature allows anyone to create AI-altered images incorporating profile photos from public Instagram accounts.

Privacy concerns mount

Donald Campbell, advocacy director at tech justice nonprofit Foxglove, called the feature "an obvious recipe for disaster." He pointed to existing harms from non-consensual AI-altered images on social platforms over the past year.

"It is hard to see why Mark Zuckerberg thinks facilitating yet more of this creepy image manipulation is a good idea," Campbell said.

Privacy International told the BBC the tool represents "the latest sign AI companies see people's images and data as raw material to be exploited." The feature arrives as U.K. regulator Ofcom investigates X over Grok's role in creating non-consensual AI-altered images.

How the opt-out works

Meta maintains that users can prevent their images from being used, even with public accounts. The company created a dedicated setting separate from standard privacy controls.

To opt out, Instagram users must navigate to settings, select "Sharing and Reuse," and disable "Allow people to reuse your content on Instagram and with AI features at Meta" for both posts and reels. The setting is not enabled by default for private accounts but requires manual action for public profiles.

Entering a crowded market

Muse Image joins numerous existing text-to-image AI tools, but Meta's integration with Instagram's vast photo library sets it apart. According to Meta's announcement, the tool uses "advanced reasoning to understand complex prompts, seamlessly blending multiple photos into high-quality creations."

The company offers the tool free for casual use, with heavier users able to access additional capacity through subscription plans. Meta plans to expand Muse Image to Facebook and Messenger, and is developing an advertising version. A video-generation variant is reportedly in development.

Why it matters

The controversy highlights a fundamental tension in AI development: companies treating publicly shared content as training data versus individuals' expectations of control over their likeness. As generative AI tools proliferate, the question of consent becomes more urgent. Meta's approach—allowing use by default with an opt-out buried in settings—suggests the company prioritizes product capabilities over user agency. With regulators already scrutinizing similar features on competing platforms, Meta's timing may invite regulatory attention at a moment when AI image manipulation is under heightened scrutiny.

These details were first reported by the BBC.