Meta’s Muse Image pulls public Instagram photos into AI unless users opt out

On July 7, Meta unveiled Muse Image, which is the first independent image generation model from Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL). The new image generation capabilities are already incorporated into the Meta AI app, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Facebook and Messenger will gain the same feature in the coming weeks.

Interestingly, a new default setting will enable people to use pictures from their public Instagram accounts to create AI images. The settings allow anyone to do so unless they choose to opt out.

This change could have an impact on a considerable segment of Instagram users. Instagram reaches a coverage of approximately 3 billion users in 2026. However, it is not specified with accuracy which portion of these accounts remains public. All public accounts have a right-by-default to opt out of the opt-out feature. Thus, to prevent misuse of one’s images, the owner must adjust privacy settings on the image.

Muse Image is considered to be the first flagship product of MSL, an initiative founded by CEO Mark Zuckerberg. This innovative project has been started so as to meet the growing needs of AI technology and compete directly with OpenAI and Google. As reported by Meta, Muse Image is from the Muse family of multimodal AI models, which will slowly replace the previous image generation solution based on Llama.

The opt-out that ships on by default

One of the most notable changes is the integration of users’ public images in the AI-generated images. According to Meta, when one uses the Meta AI and tags a public Instagram username in the process, the Muse Image can find the account photos that are publicly available and create the image.

Unlike other privacy settings, this feature comes on by default for many public accounts.

Users who want to disable the feature must open Instagram → Profile → Menu → Sharing and reuse, then locate the section labeled “Allow people to use your content on Instagram and with AI features on Meta.” Users will also have to turn off the Posts and Reels toggles separately to make sure that AI cannot use their public images in the future.

Nevertheless, there are certain limitations associated with the opt-out. The pictures that were created before turning off the option continue to be stored in the database, and the company claims it will not notify users when someone generates an image using any of their publicly available content.

Even while being tested on the day of the launch, many users, including the reporter from WIRED experienced problems with viewing the new setting in their accounts.

This release is bound to get a considerable amount of regulatory attention. Muse Image function utilizes publicly available images, which may lead to creating new ones containing real persons, and thus privacy experts will be looking for compliance of this feature with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or even risking getting sued for a biometric privacy breach. Meta has not announced any GDPR-specific changes during the launch.

What the model does

Meta presents Muse Image as more than just a simple text-to-image engine. It works together with the Muse Spark system that is responsible for interpreting the questions asked and providing data for image creation.

Instead of generating images on the spot, the Muse Spark system interprets requests, conducts a search if necessary, and provides directions to Muse Image about how to create images.

Alexandr Wang, the head of MSL, refers to this approach as “agentic,” which means that the system is able to make sense of complicated queries before the image generation process takes place. This approach improves composition, text rendering, and consistency compared with previous image-generation systems.

The new model also introduces several consumer-focused editing features. Users will be able to create a single AI-assisted composition involving several personal photographs, redecorate their rooms on the basis of Facebook Marketplace images, and draw directly on the images to guide edits. Meta says Muse Image is also better at rendering readable text and typography—an area where earlier AI image generators frequently struggled.

Meta is launching more than 30 creative effects powered by AI for Instagram Stories at the same time. This development is first happening in the US and will later roll out to other countries. Image generation capabilities within WhatsApp chats are also part of the launch process in selected markets, with broader availability planned in the coming weeks.

A bigger AI strategy and a bigger privacy debate

Muse Images enters an increasingly competitive arena fully controlled by OpenAI, Google, Midjourney, and other AI image-generation applications.

Unlike other organizations that depend on the ability of the standalone application, Meta uses the latest image-generation method in creating image-related output in various products already utilized by millions of users, hence gaining an advantage in terms of distribution speed.

The unveiling of Muse Image can also be interpreted as a move by Meta to reposition its AI offerings for consumers in a positive light after facing backlash with the launch of Llama 4.

Through combining Muse Image with the various social media platforms owned by Meta, the company hopes that this will simplify users’ access to Muse Image compared to the process of downloading a different application.

The market has reacted positively to the launch of Muse Image, and on July 7, the stock price of Meta’s shares was $615.58, reflecting a 2.55% rise from the previous trading day, and marking the highest trading price in the last 30 days.

The launch of Muse Image, however, presents some challenges that go beyond the issue of image quality. The decision to enable AI-generated images from publicly available Instagram photos unless users opt out has put the onus on users to take action and restricts their ability to give consent.

As Muse Image becomes available worldwide, the trade-off between personalization, ease of use, and privacy may become as crucial to its future success as the technology itself.

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