Why Is Meta's New AI Image Tool Under Fire and What Does It Mean for Instagram Users?

Meta has launched Muse Image, a new AI-powered image generation tool that lets users create pictures using publicly available Instagram photos. While the company says the feature is designed to make image creation more personalised, privacy advocates argue it could make it easier to create AI-generated images of real people without their knowledge.

The rollout comes at a difficult time for Meta. In India, the company is already under pressure after the Centre sought an explanation over Instagram advertisements allegedly promoting child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The government has directed Meta to explain the incident, while Republic World has independently found that some of the offending advertisements remained accessible even after the issue was flagged. Against that backdrop, Muse Image is likely to invite even greater scrutiny over how Meta handles user safety and privacy.

What is Muse Image?

Muse Image is Meta's latest text-to-image AI model, developed by its Meta Superintelligence Labs. It powers image generation inside the Meta AI app, WhatsApp, Instagram Stories, and the web, with support for Facebook and Messenger expected soon. Unlike many existing AI image generators, Muse Image can incorporate public Instagram photos into generated images.

How does it use Instagram photos?

If someone includes an Instagram username in their prompt, Muse Image can use publicly available photos from that account to generate a new AI image. For example, a user could ask the AI to create an invitation, edit a scene or place a public Instagram user into a fictional setting. Meta says the model uses advanced reasoning to understand complex prompts and blend multiple images into a final output.

Does Meta notify users when their photos are used?

No.

According to Meta's help documentation, users are not notified if someone uses their public Instagram content to generate an AI image. This has become one of the biggest criticisms of the feature because people may not know that AI-generated versions of their photos exist.

Can users stop this from happening?

Yes, but only if they change their settings.

Meta says users with public Instagram accounts can opt out by opening Instagram Settings, selecting Sharing and Reuse, and turning off "Allow people to reuse your content on Instagram and with AI features at Meta." The control is separate from normal account privacy settings, so users do not have to make their accounts private to disable the feature.

Why are privacy experts worried?

Digital rights groups argue the problem is not simply that an opt-out exists, but that the feature is enabled by default for eligible public accounts. Critics say this effectively treats people's images as material for AI-generated content unless they actively discover and disable the setting. They also warn the tool could make it easier to create misleading or non-consensual AI-generated images using real people's likenesses.

Is this related to Meta's troubles in India?

Not directly, but it adds to the pressure the company is already facing.

Meta is currently responding to questions from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) after reports that Instagram displayed advertisements linked to child sexual abuse material. The company has said it removed several violating ads and accounts and maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards child exploitation, but the controversy has renewed questions about how effectively Meta moderates content and protects users on its platforms.

The launch of Muse Image now raises a separate set of concerns, centred on whether users have enough control over how their photos are used by AI.

Is Muse Image available in India?

For now, Meta says Muse Image is rolling out to users in the United States through the Meta AI app, web, WhatsApp and Instagram Stories. The company has confirmed that it will expand to Facebook and Messenger, while a video-generation model is also in development. It has not yet announced an India rollout timeline.