META SCRAPS AI IMAGE FEATURE DAYS AFTER LAUNCH FOLLOWING PRIVACY BACKLASH

Meta has shut down a new AI image feature just days after launch after users, labour unions and major Hollywood talent representatives raised privacy and likeness-rights concerns. Reuters and Newsweek reported that the tool, called Muse Image, was developed by Meta Superintelligence Labs, integrated into the Meta AI chatbot and launched on Tuesday. The feature allowed users to generate and manipulate AI images of individuals by tagging their public Instagram accounts. Meta later withdrew the feature, saying, "We've heard the feedback that this feature missed the mark, so it's no longer available."

The backlash focused on consent. Reporting from the Associated Press and Business Insider said the feature drew criticism because it could automatically access or use publicly available Instagram images to create AI-generated content, while users had to disable the function rather than explicitly opt in. Critics argued that a public Instagram account should not automatically become permission for another user to generate images of that person through an AI tool. That concern was especially sharp for actors, performers, creators and public figures whose faces, bodies and personal brands can be commercially valuable and vulnerable to misuse.

Creative Artists Agency, which represents major entertainment figures including Zendaya, Tom Cruise and Meryl Streep, criticized Meta's approach, according to Reuters and Newsweek. CAA warned that the feature raised copyright and likeness-rights concerns and called on Meta to change the policy so users would be automatically opted out rather than automatically included. The agency's position is CAA's response to the feature, not a court finding that Meta violated copyright or publicity rights. The legal implications remain unresolved unless tested in court or by regulators.

SAG-AFTRA, the union representing performers and Hollywood actors, also urged its members and the public to "take action to protect your likeness" by disabling the feature, according to Reuters, Newsweek and AP reporting. The union has been one of the most prominent voices warning about nonconsensual digital replicas and AI systems that can reproduce a performer's image, voice or performance style without meaningful consent. Its criticism of Muse Image fits into a broader labour and entertainment-industry dispute over how AI companies, studios and social-media platforms handle the identity and creative work of real people.

The feature's short life shows how quickly consumer AI tools can run into consent problems when they involve identifiable people. Meta's existing platforms already hold enormous volumes of public images, videos, profile information and social connections. The controversy around Muse Image turned on whether material that is publicly visible should be treated as usable for generative AI features by default. Privacy advocates and entertainment representatives argued that visibility is not consent. Meta's removal of the feature indicates that the company accepted, at least for now, that the launch created more risk and backlash than benefit.

The dispute also comes as Meta is investing heavily in AI across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and its broader Meta AI assistant. The company has been trying to compete with OpenAI, Google, Anthropic and other AI developers while also embedding generative tools directly into its existing social platforms. That gives Meta a major distribution advantage, but it also makes privacy and consent failures more visible. A feature that might have been tested quietly by a smaller AI startup can become a major public controversy when launched inside an ecosystem connected to billions of social-media accounts.

The entertainment-industry response is part of a wider rights debate. Actors, musicians, creators, photographers, writers and agencies have raised concerns that generative AI systems can use copyrighted material, personal likenesses or public images in ways that undercut consent and compensation. Muse Image sharpened that concern because it let users generate or manipulate images of a person by tagging a public Instagram account. That kind of tool raises reputational, commercial and harassment risks, especially if safeguards are unclear or if users do not realize the feature is active.

The next developments to watch are whether Meta reintroduces Muse Image with an opt-in system, publishes clearer consent controls, or faces regulatory, legal or union pressure over the feature. For now, the verified public record is that Meta launched Muse Image on Tuesday, faced rapid backlash over privacy and likeness rights, and withdrew the feature after saying it had "missed the mark."

Fact-check date: 12 July 2026
Article type: News
Sources: Reuters reporting on Meta's decision to shut down the Muse Image feature; Newsweek reporting on the backlash and Meta's statement; Associated Press and Business Insider reporting on the opt-out design, privacy concerns and SAG-AFTRA criticism; statements from Creative Artists Agency and SAG-AFTRA.