Meta’s Muse AI Tool Lets Users Create Images Using Public Instagram Photos

Meta has launched Muse Image, its first image generation model built by Meta Superintelligence Labs, and the release has already triggered a privacy backlash because it lets users pull public Instagram photos into AI-generated visuals without notifying the account owner. The tool is now live inside Meta AI and also powers new creative features across Instagram and WhatsApp.

Muse Image uses advanced reasoning to interpret complex prompts and blend multiple photos into a single high-quality creation that users can download or share directly to a chat, story, or feed.

Meta’s chief AI officer, Alexandr Wang, says the model “pairs with Muse Spark to reason through your prompt, search the web, and plan before it generates,” meaning it plans layout, checks real-time web context, and merges multiple visual references before producing an image.

It also renders legible text inside visuals, supporting use cases like custom infographics, how-to guides, and even functional QR codes.

Users get suggested presets to spark ideas, such as restoring an old family photo or reimagining themselves in a different art style, and can sketch or annotate directly on an image to request edits without restarting the creation.

A “shop your room” feature lets people photograph a space and redesign it with real products pulled from the web or Facebook Marketplace.

The most contentious feature lets users type an “@ mention” to tag any public Instagram account inside a Meta AI prompt, pulling that person’s public photos into the generated image even without their permission.

According to Meta’s own help documentation, public account holders “may be able to create content with your Instagram content using AI features at Meta,” and the resulting images could even surface in search engine results.

Because public accounts are opted in by default, critics including the BBC and Wired argue the feature effectively lets strangers manipulate someone’s likeness without consent or notice.

Meta says users retain control and can disable this specific reuse setting at any time from their Instagram account. The opt-out process requires several manual steps rather than a single global toggle.

Step	Action
1	Open the Instagram app and go to your Profile.
2	Tap the menu icon, then select “Sharing and reuse”.
3	Find “Allow people to reuse your content on Instagram and with AI features at Meta”.
4	Toggle off separately for both Posts and Reels.

Meta confirmed that private accounts are automatically excluded because their content cannot be accessed by other users for remixing. The company has also added a separate “likeness” control that lets people decide who can tag them in AI-generated content by verifying their face and setting permissions for themselves, approved followers, mutuals, or everyone.

Muse Image is currently available for free in the US through the Meta AI app, meta.ai, Instagram Stories, and WhatsApp in limited countries, with more than 30 new AI-powered effects added to Instagram Stories at launch.

Meta says the model is coming soon to Facebook and Messenger, and advertisers will be able to access it through Meta Advantage+ creative “in the coming weeks”.

Heavy users who exceed the free generation limit will need one of Meta’s monthly subscription plans, positioning Muse Image as both a consumer creativity tool and a new revenue driver for the company.

Alongside Muse Image, Meta previewed Muse Video, a related model built on the same pretraining base that adds native audio support and is described as an early step toward the company’s broader “personal superintelligence” ambitions.

Stop Accepting SLAs Written for 2019 SOCs – Here’s the 2026 AI SLA Vendor Checklist – Download Free AI SOC SLA Guide