Meta Halts AI Image Tool Days After Launch Amid Privacy Concerns

Meta announced on Saturday that it has stopped offering an artificial intelligence tool that allowed users to generate images using public Instagram accounts. The decision follows extensive criticism over privacy issues, including objections from a Hollywood union.

In a statement reported by The New York Times, Meta said, "Our goal was to provide a useful creative tool and give people control over how their publicly available content is used in this way."

The company, which owns Facebook and Instagram, acknowledged receiving feedback that the tool did not meet its intended purpose and therefore is no longer accessible.

The tool, named "Muse Image," was launched last Tuesday as the first image generation model from Meta's Super Intelligence labs. It was automatically enabled for any Instagram user with a public account, allowing the use of existing photos as inputs and enabling users to edit generated images directly through drawing.

The American union SAG-AFTRA, representing artists in film, television, and other media, urged its members on Thursday to deactivate the tool, posting on social media, "Take action to protect your image."

The New York Times noted that this launch was the latest in a series of missteps by AI companies, which have allowed this technology unchecked freedom to manipulate a wide range of images.