Meta withdraws Instagram account reference feature from Muse Image after user feedback
New Delhi, July 11
Meta has withdrawn a newly announced feature that allowed users to generate AI images in Meta AI by referencing and mentioning Instagram accounts that were public, after the company received feedback that the feature "missed the mark."
"Earlier this week, we announced that one way for people to generate images in Meta AI is by @-mentioning public Instagram accounts that they want to reference. We intended to provide a useful creative tool and to give people control over whether their public content could be referenced in this way. We've heard the feedback that this feature missed the mark, so it's no longer available," the company said in an update on Friday.
The feature was announced earlier this week as part of the rollout of Muse Image, Meta's first image generation model developed by Meta Superintelligence Labs. It would have allowed users to reference public Instagram accounts while creating AI-generated images. Following the update, the broader rollout of Muse Image continues, but the Instagram account reference feature has been withdrawn.
Meta had said that Muse Image uses advanced reasoning to understand complex prompts and can combine multiple photos into a single image. It also supports preset prompts to help users generate ideas and allows image edits through sketches and annotations directly within the conversation.
The company had informed its customers that Muse Image powers creative experiences on Instagram and WhatsApp and is coming soon to Facebook, Messenger, and for advertisers through Meta Advantage+ creative.
The latest update marks Meta's first change to the rollout of Muse Image, with the company removing the Instagram account reference feature while continuing to make the image generation model available through Meta AI.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Honestly, this feature sounded creepy from day one. Imagine someone literally referencing your Instagram account to generate fake images of you? 😬 Meta was smart to pull it quickly. But I hope they focus on making AI tools more transparent before adding new features.
Meta should learn from Indian startups - we always prioritize user consent first! 🙌 But on a serious note, this is a good move. AI image generation is powerful but needs guardrails. I'm curious how they'll handle this when the feature reaches Facebook and Messenger. Better to get it right from the start.
As someone who works with AI, I get the technical appeal, but this was a massive privacy fail. 😅 The fact that they rolled it out without proper safeguards is concerning. Glad they backtracked. Let's hope Muse Image's other features are better thought out - the ability to combine multiple photos could be genuinely useful.
Common sense prevailed! 🧠 Why would anyone want others to generate AI images using their Instagram handle? This is India, bhai - we know how quickly such features get misused for fake profiles and scams. Meta should instead focus on tools that respect digital rights. At least they listened before things got messy.
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