Update: Friday, July 11, 2026
MENLO PARK, Calif. — Meta on Friday, July 11, 2026, shut down an artificial intelligence feature that let users generate images by @-mentioning public Instagram accounts, just days after launching it. The reversal came amid backlash over privacy concerns and reports that people’s likenesses were being used without consent in fraudulent ads, including those promoting fake supplements for dementia.
What happened
On Tuesday, July 8, Meta introduced Muse Image, a new AI image-generation model from Meta Superintelligence Labs. It rolled out with 30+ AI effects for Instagram Stories and a feature allowing users to @-mention any public Instagram account to generate images “referencing” that account — for things like birthday cards, memes, or edited photos.
By default, all public Instagram accounts, except users under 18, were opted in. Private accounts and minors were automatically excluded. Adult users could opt out via Settings > Sharing and Reuse, or by making their account private.
Why it was pulled
The feature drew immediate criticism from digital rights groups, privacy advocates, SAG-AFTRA, and the Creative Artists Agency. Critics called it “a privacy landmine waiting to detonate” and “an obvious recipe for disaster,” citing risks of non-consensual deepfakes, impersonation, and fake endorsements.
Reports of misuse surfaced quickly. Neal K. Shah, an NIH-funded caregiving researcher and CEO of CareYaya, told FOX Business he saw AI-generated ads using his likeness to promote supplements falsely claiming to help people with dementia. “I saw fraud actually happening in real time,” Shah said. Followers messaged him after seeing ads that appeared to show him endorsing products he never promoted. “All of these older people have been scammed, and my image has been used to scam them, and I can’t do anything about it,” he said. He reported the ads to Meta but said they remained on the platform.
SAG-AFTRA warned members Thursday to opt out, saying the tool allowed “public Instagram images to be used in AI-generated content without seeking direct permission.” The union told members to “take action to protect your likeness.”
Meta’s response
In an update to its Instagram blog Friday, Meta said: “Earlier this week, we announced that one way for people to generate images in Meta AI is by @-mentioning public Instagram accounts that they want to reference. Our intent was to provide a useful creative tool and to give people control over whether their public content could be referenced in this way. We’ve heard the feedback that this feature missed the mark, so it’s no longer available.”
The company said Muse Image was built “with strong controls and safety guardrails from day one,” but acknowledged the feature did not meet user expectations.
What changes, what doesn’t
Friday’s update removes only the @-mention image-generation feature. The broader rollout of Instagram’s AI-powered creative tools — including AI effects for Stories and the Muse Image model for text-to-image generation — remains in place.
Meta said it plans to expand Muse Image to Facebook and eventually add video-generation capabilities.
What’s still unresolved
- Enforcement: Shah and others say fraudulent ads using AI-generated likenesses were already circulating and difficult to remove, even after reports to Meta.
- Liability: Legal experts note that if a business uses an AI-generated image in an ad that includes someone’s face, the business — not Meta — is likely to face lawsuits or backlash.
- Regulatory scrutiny: India’s IT Ministry said Thursday it is reviewing Muse Image under existing law. The U.K.’s Ofcom is investigating similar issues on X.
How to opt out of remaining AI reuse settings
While the @-mention feature is gone, Instagram still allows some AI reuse of public content. Users can disable it: Profile > Menu > Sharing and reuse > Toggle off “Allow people to use your content on Instagram and with AI features on Meta.” Making an account private also excludes it. Some users reported the toggle reactivating on its own and recommend checking periodically.
The bottom line
Meta launched a tool Tuesday that turned public Instagram photos into AI prompt material by default. By Friday, it was gone, following reports of real-world scams and widespread privacy objections. The episode highlights how quickly generative AI features can collide with consent, likeness rights, and fraud — and how opt-out defaults shift risk onto users.
Meta did not respond to a request for comment beyond directing reporters to its blog post.
