Meta has rolled out a new artificial intelligence image-generation tool called Muse Image, which lets users create original pictures, edit existing photos, and generate custom advertisements directly within its apps. However, the feature has sparked immediate controversy because it can pull images from public Instagram accounts without the account holder’s explicit consent.
According to Meta, any user with a public profile can have their photos used by others as part of an AI-generated creation. The only exceptions are private accounts and those belonging to users under 18, which are automatically excluded. Crucially, people whose images are reused are not notified when this happens, raising serious concerns about consent, impersonation, and non-consensual editing.
For UK users worried about their privacy, opting out is straightforward. Go to your profile, tap the three horizontal lines in the top-right corner, scroll to ‘Sharing and reuse’, and locate the option that says ‘Allow people to use your content on Instagram with AI features on Meta’. Toggle this setting off for both posts and reels to prevent your public photos from being used.
The launch comes amid growing public scepticism about AI. A Pew Research Centre survey found that 35% of respondents are more concerned than excited about the increasing use of artificial intelligence. Meta’s own track record on data privacy adds to the unease: in 2019, the US Federal Trade Commission fined the company $5bn (£3.9bn) for violating a consent order related to user data, following the Cambridge Analytica scandal that affected up to 87 million users worldwide.
For UK businesses and consumers, the implications are significant. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has previously warned tech firms about transparency under UK data protection law, and the EU’s AI Act imposes strict rules on generative AI systems. Experts argue that without stronger safeguards, tools like Muse Image could erode trust in social platforms and increase the risk of image-based abuse. Dr. Eleanor Shaw, a digital ethics researcher at the University of Cambridge, commented: “The lack of notification and opt-out-by-default design places the burden on users to protect themselves, which is neither fair nor sustainable.”