Meta has launched Muse Image, an AI image-generation tool integrated directly into Instagram, that allows any user to tag a public account and use that account’s photos as raw material for AI-generated creations, with no notification or consent required from the person whose images are being used.
The feature, which launched on July 7, lets users create original images, edit existing photos, and generate custom ads within Meta’s apps. While private accounts and accounts belonging to users under 18 are automatically excluded from the feature’s training pool, every public Instagram account is opted in by default.
“As long as a person’s profile is public, another user can tag that account and use their images as part of an AI-generated creation,” TechCrunch reported. “Users may have no idea that their public photos can be incorporated into AI-generated images by strangers, and they aren’t even notified when someone reuses their public content.”
The launch has reignited privacy concerns around Meta’s track record with user data, including the 2019 US$5 billion (approximately £4.0 billion) FTC fine for violating a 2012 consent order and the Cambridge Analytica scandal, which affected up to 87 million Facebook accounts.
A Pew Research Center survey released around the same time found that 35% of respondents said they were more concerned than excited about AI’s growth, a sentiment the Muse Image rollout is unlikely to improve.
How to opt out
Users who want to prevent their photos from being used by Muse Image can disable the feature manually:
1. Go to your Instagram profile and tap the three horizontal lines in the top-right corner.
2. Scroll down to “Sharing and reuse.”
3. Locate the option labelled “Allow people to use your content on Instagram with AI features on Meta.”
4. Toggle the setting off for both posts and reels.
The opt-out is per-account and must be done manually for each profile a user manages. There is no global “opt out of all AI training” switch.
Sources: Instagram users: Here’s how to stop Meta’s AI from using your photos (TechCrunch, Jul 9, 2026)