The tech giant has unveiled its new Muse Image model, the first release from its "Meta Superintelligence Labs." This AI model promises to create hyperrealistic images, posters, and even videos – once Muse Video launches, anyway.
However, a peculiar issue has emerged with how it integrates with public Instagram profiles. By default, anyone using Meta AI can create an image using the likeness of a public Instagram account, which they can then share via chat, Stories, or the Instagram feed.
This feature is accessible to any public profile, not just those of celebrities or famous individuals. In fact, some celebrity profiles are restricted from this feature. The lack of guardrails raises significant privacy concerns, as every public profile is automatically opted into this new feature without their consent.
Users of Meta AI features on Instagram are also included in this feature without their explicit consent. For Meta, the distinction is clear: if you're posting anything publicly, they can use it on their AI platform.
However, creating an image out of two different faces is nothing new. You can upload two profile images and get the same effect. But Meta is making this trivially easy on a very large scale.
One user tested this feature to see how it works. They tried creating an image of themselves in a fight scene with Robert Downey Jr. but the AI refused, likely due to image rights. However, when they asked the AI to create an image with themselves and a colleague with a public profile, it was created in just under a minute.
But is it possible to stop people from using your Instagram profile in their AI images? If you have a private Instagram profile, this isn't something you need to worry about – beyond mutual use of your photos for their own AI usage. If you have a public profile, you can disable a setting that lets Meta use your profile data for Meta AI and Reels generation.
To do this, open the Instagram app on your iPhone, go to your Profile and tap the three-lined Menu button in the top-right corner. Go to Sharing and Reuse and navigate to the section called Allow people to reuse your content on Instagram and with AI features at Meta. Here, disable the Posts and Reels feature.
This does work, as one user tested. They disabled the feature on a public Instagram page and when they asked Meta AI to create an image using that profile, the AI refused, saying it didn't have the right to do that. This should be the default.
