New Delhi: Recently, Meta has pulled its Muse Image feature from Instagram just days after its debut, following widespread criticism over its privacy and consent. Meta has also admitted that this feature missed the mark and confirmed it is now no longer available on Instagram.
Now, actually, what happened? So, the backlash centered on some privacy issues: Public Instagram accounts were automatically opted in. Users did not have to explicitly give permission before their public photos and reels could be referenced by the AI tools.
Users could generate AI images by simply tagging any public Instagram account, making it possible to create AI-generated images based on another person’s appearance. Many of the users complained they weren’t notified that their content might be used this way, and several found the opt-out process confusing or difficult. SAG-AFTRA, the Hollywood actors’ union, has warned that the feature could encourage non-consensual digital replicas of people. Hollywood actress Hannah Einbinder has publicly criticized the tool by stating it allowed people’s likenesses to be used without permission.
After Meta turned off the feature, SAG-AFTRA praised the decision by calling it the right thing to do. Meta stated that its goal was to offer creative AI tools while offering users more control over whether their public content could be referenced. After hearing user feedback, Meta concluded the rollout missed the mark and removed the feature.
