Meta Pulls New AI Image Generator After Privacy Backlash from Users and SAG-AFTRA

Meta Platforms (META) announced Friday it is discontinuing a new artificial intelligence feature that generated images from public Instagram accounts, pulling the tool just days after its launch amid a swift and widespread backlash over user privacy.

The company acknowledged the criticism in a statement, saying, "We’ve heard the feedback that this feature missed the mark, so it’s no longer available." Meta stated its original intent was to offer a creative tool while giving users control over their content.

Feature Pulled After Union Criticism

The feature, called Muse Image, was launched on Tuesday as part of the Meta AI chatbot. It allowed users to create and edit images, using publicly available photos on Instagram as potential input for the AI model.

The primary source of criticism was the feature's automatic opt-in nature, meaning users' public content was eligible for use by default unless they actively chose to opt out. This policy drew sharp condemnation from privacy advocates and prominent figures, including the actors' union SAG-AFTRA, which on Thursday urged its members and the public to disable the feature.

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Broader Implications for AI and Data

SAG-AFTRA, which represents actors and media professionals, called any policy other than a "clear and conspicuous opt-in" for this type of image use "unacceptable." Following Meta's reversal, a union spokesperson welcomed the move, stating, "With the dangers of nonconsensual digital replicas well known to all, a feature that encouraged that behavior is unwise. We appreciate its discontinuance. It is the responsible thing to do."

The rapid reversal highlights the increasing pressure on technology companies to be transparent and provide users with explicit control over how their data is used to train generative AI models. The incident underscores the growing public and institutional sensitivity surrounding data privacy and the creation of digital likenesses.

Despite the controversy, shares of Meta closed up 5.97% at $669.21 on Friday, though the stock's movement was part of a broader market context and not necessarily tied to this specific product news.