Meta launches AI photo generator Muse Image, controversy begins instantly

Meta has just launched Muse Image – the first AI image generator built by Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL). You can now create AI images with this model on WhatsApp or Instagram but this has led to controversy as anyone can use your public Instagram account to create photos.

In Short

• Muse Image is free on Meta AI, WhatsApp DMs and Instagram Stories
• Users can create images of others by tagging Instagram usernames
• You have to manually opt-out of this feature if you want to

On Tuesday, Meta unveiled Muse Image, a new AI image generator built by Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL). Muse Image, internally code-named Mango, is now available for free through the Meta AI app, WhatsApp and Instagram. But this feature has sparked controversy almost instantly.

In a post on X, Meta explained that its new imaging tools can draw on “Instagram for social context.” This in essence means that the AI can curate the images for you based on your Instagram activity, but it also allows anyone to create images that include you by simply tagging your public Instagram account in a prompt.

This has raised concerns online. One user wrote on X, “Pulling real users into generated photos without explicit consent is a privacy landmine waiting to detonate.”

As per the company’s policy “people may be able to create content with your Instagram content using AI features at Meta” as long as your account is public. Meta also states that you will be notified about “content created using AI features at Meta.”

While this is enabled by default, Meta says that users have control and can opt out of this via settings. Switching an account to private can also stop future generations. Though images already created in this way will not be deleted.

To give you an example of how this works, we tried creating an image of Mark Zuckerberg via tagging his Instagram account in a prompt. Here is how it works.

Everything you need to know about Meta Muse Image

While privacy may be a concern of some users online, Muse Image itself comes with a ton of new features. Meta says that the tool can be used much like other AI image generators, including cartoon-style images.

You can choose from different ‘presets’ or ready-made prompts or write your own prompts. The model will also power 30 new AI effects for Instagram Stories in the US before rolling out to other countries and more areas of Meta’s apps. Those effects include customisable filters that can alter existing photos.

Muse Image also allows you to edit images with prompts. The company says that you can also create more complex images with the tool, such as invitations or postcards.

Muse Image is the second major release by Meta Superintelligence Labs led by Alexandr Wang after the April launch of the Muse Spark large language model. Wang said on Threads that Muse Image is “agentic.” The tool works with Muse Spark “to reason through your prompt, search the web, and plan before it generates.”

Muse Image currently sits at the second spot on Arena Elo rankings for text-to-image, single-image editing, and multi-image editing, only behind OpenAI’s GPT Image 2.

Alongside Muse Image, Meta also showcased its new AI video generator – Muse Video which is currently in development. Muse Video ranks in third place on the Arena Elo rankings for text-to-video at the time of writing.

Is Muse Image free?

Meta says that Muse Image is free, but users who cross a usage limit will need to wait for the limit to reset or sign up for a paid subscription plan such as Meta One. The company also plans to bring the tool to Facebook and Messenger later this year. More parts of Instagram and WhatsApp will also get Muse Image soon. Currently, it is only available for Instagram Stories or direct messages on WhatsApp, apart from the Meta AI app.

Meta is also using Muse Image for business and advertising tools. The model will support advertiser-focused image generation within Advantage Plus, which helps brands create marketing material and automate parts of campaign work. The company said advertisers and agencies would soon start seeing image variants powered by Muse Image.

This is not the first time Meta has faced scrutiny over user privacy. In 2019, the company paid a then record US$5 billion fine to the US FTC after regulators found that Cambridge Analytica had improperly harvested data from tens of millions of Facebook users without their knowledge. In 2021, Meta also shut down Facebook’s facial-recognition system amid lawsuits and regulatory pressure over the collection of biometric data. The company also faces up to $1.4 trillion in penalties for allegedly harming the mental health of teenagers on Instagram.

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