Meta pulls Instagram-linked Muse AI feature

Meta has withdrawn a controversial feature in its newly launched Muse AI image generator that allowed users to create images by referencing public Instagram accounts. The move follows widespread criticism over data privacy, image scraping, and consent.

New Delhi: Social media platform Meta has scrapped a controversial feature in its recently-announced Muse AI image generator after concerns over data privacy and image-scraping sparked an outcry.

The new feature announced this week enabled users to create AI images using public Instagram accounts. Meta now says it has taken note of “feedback” and that the feature is no longer available.

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“We’ve heard the feedback that this feature missed the mark, so it’s no longer available,” Meta said.

Earlier this week, Meta had announced that one way for people to generate images in Meta AI is by @-mentioning public Instagram accounts that they want to reference.

“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 explained as it removed the feature.

Meta’s recent announcement of Muse Image, touted as its most powerful AI image generator and first media generation model developed by Superintelligence Labs, had drawn criticism and user concerns over data privacy, image scraping and consent.

Amid the outcry over the new feature, Indian government this week said it will assess Meta’s Muse AI image generator under the existing legal framework.

IT Secretary S Krishnan had said on Thursday that the ministry will examine representations it receives.