Meta pulls AI image feature after privacy backlash, says ‘it missed the mark’ | Technology News

3 min readJul 11, 2026 03:06 PM Days after launching Muse Image, the first AI-powered image generation model from Meta Superintelligence Labs, Meta has discontinued one of its features following backlash over privacy concerns. The feature allowed users of the Meta AI chatbot to tag public Instagram accounts and use their publicly shared content to generate or modify AI images.
On Friday, July 10, the Mark Zuckerberg-led company said that it was discontinuing the feature after it attracted scathing criticism over privacy concerns, including from Hollywood union SAG-AFTRA. “Our intent was to provide a useful creative tool and to give people control over ⁠whether ​their public content could be referenced in this way,” Meta said in a statement. “We’ve heard the feedback that this feature missed the mark, so it’s no longer available.”
The announcement of the feature on Tuesday sparked immediate backlash. However, the company maintained that it was limited to Instagram, and more AI features and integrations were planned for WhatsApp, Facebook, and Messenger. The company had also indicated that an AI video tool is also in the works.
Following the launch, SAG-AFTRA, the union of Hollywood actors and other media professionals, urged members and other Instagram users to ⁠opt out ‌of the feature. “Anything other than a clear ​and conspicuous opt-in for these types of uses ‌of Instagram users’ images is unacceptable, and an utter miscalculation of public sentiment regarding the obvious dangers and harms ‌ inherent in such ​use,” the union ​said.

Meta’s ​decision to remove the feature was welcomed SAG-AFTRA. “With the dangers of nonconsensual digital replicas ​well known to all, a feature that encouraged ⁠that behaviour is unwise. We appreciate its discontinuance. It is the responsible thing to do,” a union spokesperson said. The reversal indicates increasing ‌pressure on ⁠technology companies to give users clear control over how their publicly shared content is used AI ​features.
Meta has been rapidly expanding its AI offerings, and alongside it has been facing increasing scrutiny over privacy and consent in its services. Earlier this year, the company introduced new AI-powered products and features, including AI-enabled smart glasses and image generation tools, prompting concerns from privacy advocates over how user data and publicly shared content could be used. Numerous critics questioned whether its exing safeguards offered users adequate transparency and control, especially when AI systems relied on content originally shared for social networking rather than content creation.Story continues below this ad
The debate has also extended to Meta’s broader AI strategy. In recent months, the company has faced legal challenges over the data used to train its AI models, with publishers alleging that copyrighted material was used without permission. Although those lawsuits centre on copyright, they have reinforced broader concerns over transparency, consent and how AI companies use publicly available content.
Against this backdrop, the launch of Muse Image triggered concerns around consent because the feature relied on content from public Instagram accounts. Privacy advocates argued that users should explicitly opt in.
With inputs from Reuters.