Table of Contents
Topline
Major Hollywood unions and talent agencies are urging the celebrities they represent to opt out of a controversial new feature on Instagram that allows users to create AI images based on posts from public accounts, while some cybersecurity companies are raising privacy concerns.
Meta introduced its Muse Image tool for Instagram earlier this week. (Photo by Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
NurPhoto via Getty Images
Important facts
Instagram faced backlash this week over Muse Image, an AI image generation tool it unveiled that allows users to create AI content based on images posted by public accounts that are not notified when their posts are used for image generation.
One of the most controversial features of the feature is that it automatically enables users with public accounts to join the program. This means that users will have to manually opt out in their settings if they do not want their photos to be used for AI image generation.
Meta has clarified in response to the backlash that users under 18 have been automatically banned from the feature and that Meta will take action against any content that violates its community standards.
But the feature has unnerved users and cybersecurity experts who see it as an invasion of privacy, as well as Hollywood, which is already grappling with the threat of AI using celebrities’ likenesses without consent.
Forbes has reached out to Meta for comment.
How has Hollywood responded to Instagram’s Muse image tool?
SAG-AFTRA, a major Hollywood union representing more than 160,000 actors and entertainment industry professionals, urged its members to opt out of the Muse Image tool in a statement late Thursday. “Meta now allows anyone to use your Instagram photos in AI images without your consent,” the union warned, urging members to log out to “protect your likeness.” SAG-AFTRA has already been forced to confront AI, which was a key sticking point in its 2023 strike. Earlier this year, the union ratified a contract that limits the use of AI-generated artists unless they add “significant value.” The Creative Arts Agency, one of Hollywood’s largest talent agencies, urged Meta in a statement earlier this week to opt in and not opt out of the feature. “Artists deserve to decide whether and how their likeness and work is used,” the agency said, calling on Meta to give creators the ability to “impose restrictions, monitor usage, and prevent unauthorized promotion or exploitation.” More and more celebrities, including Matthew McConaughey and Taylor Swift, have filed trademarks to protect their likenesses from AI abuse.
How have cybersecurity companies responded to Muse Image?
Malwarebytes, a cybersecurity software company, warned in a blog post that the tool could be used for “identity fraud, fraud or other abuse” and that it could make “phishing and fraud easier” for cybercriminals. “You would hope that Meta would tell you in advance with a big, bold ‘Turn this off if you don’t want it’ message when you open Instagram, but no such luck,” the blog post says, pointing out that finding the opt-out switch is “an adventure in itself.” A blog post from cybersecurity firm Proton noted that the feature represents a “major privacy issue” and that the opt-out option is “buried deep in the settings.” Thorin Klosowski, senior security and privacy campaigner at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, told The Guardian that the setting “should absolutely be optional for Instagram users” and said that AI image generation “certainly was not on anyone’s mind when they signed up for Instagram years ago.”
How can Instagram users disable Muse Image?Title
To disable Muse Image, users must select “Share and Reuse” in their Instagram settings. There, users can choose whether or not they want to consent to their posts or Reels being used in Meta’s AI tools. Users can also protect their posts from the Muse Image feature by making their Instagram account private.
What did Meta say about Muse Image?
In a blog post earlier this week, Meta said the Muse Image tool can “stitch multiple photos into high-quality creations” and understand complex prompts, allowing users to share creations in their stories or feeds. Meta also announced new AI features for Instagram Stories and image generation on WhatsApp.
tangent
Meta has recently made efforts to improve its AI capabilities, announcing a new version of its Muse Spark AI model on Thursday. Alexandr Wang, AI chief at Meta, called Muse Spark 1.1 the company’s “strongest model for agent and coding work to date,” claiming the model is better than the competition at certain tasks, such as interacting with third-party coding services. Meta also announced this week the construction of its first AI data center in Canada, which will cost $9 billion and take at least two years to build. This would be Meta’s 33rd data center overall, CNBC reported.
further literature
Instagram Users: How to Stop Meta’s AI From Using Your Photos (Tech Crunch)
Meta builds its first major Canadian data center as AI expansion crosses the border (CNBC)
https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2026/07/10/instagrams-new-ai-update-faces-blowback-from-hollywood-cybersecurity-companies/
