Meta’s Muse Image: How to stop your Instagram photos from being used for AI

KUALA LUMPUR,  July 10 — Meta has introduced Muse Image, an AI image generator that allows users to create new AI-generated visuals based on existing Instagram photos.

The feature has sparked significant privacy concerns because any adult with a public Instagram account was automatically opted in, meaning their published photos can be used by others to generate new AI content without prior notification.

How does it work?

Using the stand-alone Meta AI app, a user can tag a public Instagram account and instruct the chatbot to generate new images based on the photos found on that specific profile.

Meta’s documentation notes that the AI can pull from "part or all of your published photos."

How do I opt out?

If you do not want your public photos used to train or generate AI images, you have two primary options:

1. The quickest fix: Go Private

The most effective way to protect your account is to set your Instagram profile to Private. Private accounts and users under 18 are automatically excluded from this feature.

2. Manual toggle (For public accounts)

If you wish to keep your account public but disable the AI feature:

• Open Instagram Settings.
• Scroll down to the "Share and Reuse" tab.
• Locate the section: "Allow people to reuse your content on Instagram and with AI features."
• Toggle this setting to Off.

You can also adjust AI settings for individual photos and videos. However, Meta has stated that users cannot currently stop their audio, text, and comments from being reused by the company's AI.

Who is protected?

Meta has implemented two main safeguards:

• Minors: Users under 18 are excluded from having their images used for AI generation, regardless of whether their account is public.
• Teens: Teen users are barred from using the feature to generate images of other people.

How does this compare to other AI tools?

Meta's "opt-out" approach differs from other industry players. For example, OpenAI’s video generator, Sora, required users to opt in before their likeness could be used.

Muse Image is part of Meta's aggressive integration of AI across its ecosystem, including Facebook, WhatsApp, and Threads.

This rollout includes "AI characters" with distinct personalities and the upcoming release of Muse Video, an AI video generator.