Earlier this week Meta introduced the Muse Image model and a feature within Meta AI that lets users include the likeness of any adult with a public Instagram account in generated images. The tool allows creators to tag an Instagram account when producing an image, but the person whose likeness is used is not notified automatically.
Under the current setup, Instagram account holders must actively opt out if they do not want their image used in AI-generated content.
Why this matters
The debate centers on whether people should have to opt out of having their faces used by AI (the current approach) or whether companies should require affirmative, prior consent. Critics argue the opt-out model risks turning people’s faces into raw material for AI without their knowledge or permission.
Who is objecting and what they say
Public Citizen called Meta’s move an “egregious invasion” of privacy. J.B. Branch, director of federal AI governance and technology policy at Public Citizen, said: “Meta has once again chosen the creepiest possible path. People should not wake up to discover their face has become raw material for someone else's AI experiment.”
Creative Artists Agency (CAA) urged Meta to change the policy so that individuals must give explicit consent before their likeness is used. In its statement CAA said, “No one's name, image, likeness, voice, or creative work should be used by any third party, including AI models, without clear, documented consent,” and emphasized that artists should be able to set terms, monitor use, and prevent unauthorized endorsements or exploitation.
SAG-AFTRA, the largest actors’ union, recommended that its members and all Instagram users opt out of the new tool. In a Thursday post on X, the union wrote: “SAG-AFTRA recommends that #SagAftraMembers (and all Instagram users) opt-OUT of Meta's new AI image generation tool, Muse Image,” and included instructions for how to do so. The post urged members to take action to protect their likeness.
Meta’s response
Meta says the image generation tool “has built-in protections designed to prevent the generation of policy-violating content, including violent, sexual, or defamatory imagery of real people.”
Alexandr Wang, head of Meta Superintelligence Labs, told Axios the company has received similar feedback and is considering next steps: “We're definitely receiving a lot of the feedback and are being thoughtful about what the next steps for that product should be.” So far, Meta has not changed its policy in response to the opposition.
How to opt out
For those who want to see how the opt-out process works in practice, there is a video demonstration from Axios reporter Madison Mills that walks through the settings to disable the feature.
