Meta backs down: AI image tool yanked amid opt-out backlash

Meta has shut down an AI image feature that let users manipulate photos of people by simply tagging their public Instagram account, just days after launching it. Corbin Bolies reports for Variety that the company faced immediate backlash over the tool’s design.

The feature was part of Meta’s new Muse Image model, introduced on Tuesday. It allowed anyone to generate images of a person by @-mentioning their public Instagram account, including accounts belonging to celebrities. Critics quickly focused on its opt-out policy: users over 18 with public profiles had to actively disable the feature to keep their likeness out of the generator.

Talent agencies and unions push back

Talent agency CAA said it raised concerns directly with Meta, calling for “a more reasonable approach.” In a statement, CAA said no one’s name, image, likeness or creative work should be used by third parties, including AI models, “without clear, documented consent.” SAG-AFTRA, the union representing U.S. performers, urged its members on Thursday to opt out immediately.

By Friday, Meta reversed course. A spokesperson said the company intended to build “a useful creative tool” but acknowledged that “this feature missed the mark.” CAA welcomed the decision, calling it essential for “building responsible technology.”

The episode echoes a similar controversy around OpenAI’s Sora 2 video model, which also briefly used an opt-out system before the company changed course.