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Jul 13, 2026 — 8:05 AM ET
- Meta has scrapped Instagram’s AI feature that let users generate images using public profiles as references.
- The feature sparked backlash from users, who argued their public posts shouldn’t become AI reference material without meaningful consent.
- Meta says it listened to feedback and removed the feature just days after announcing it alongside Muse Image.
Meta has done a quick U-turn on one of Instagram’s newest AI features. Just days after unveiling Muse Image, its first dedicated image-generation model, the company quietly backed away from a feature that would have let people generate AI images using public Instagram profiles as references.
For many creators, an Instagram profile is more than just a collection of photos — it’s their portfolio, personal brand, and often their livelihood. The idea that AI could use those posts as creative reference material was always going to raise eyebrows.
As first spotted by [ The Verge](https://www.theverge.com/tech/964416/meta-instagram-ai-muse-image-deepfakes), Meta has now confirmed it’s pulling the feature altogether. In an
update to the same blog postthat introduced Muse Image, the company said it had heard the criticism and decided the feature “missed the mark.” As a result, it has been removed.
The original plan wasn’t entirely without safeguards. Meta said creators would have been notified whenever someone used their public profile as a reference for AI-generated images, giving them visibility into how the feature was being used. But for many people, a notification after the fact wasn’t really the point. If you don’t want AI using your photos as creative material in the first place, knowing about it later doesn’t solve much.
It’s hard to blame the backlash. Public accounts may be visible to everyone, but that doesn’t necessarily mean users are comfortable with their posts being used in someone else’s AI workflow. Many photographers, artists, and influencers spend years developing a distinctive visual identity, and it’s understandable that they’d want to keep that separate from generative AI tools.
To Meta’s credit, it didn’t take long to respond. Rather than trying to tweak the feature or defend it, the company chose to remove it entirely. That’s a rare move in the AI space, where controversial features often stick around despite user complaints.
It’s also a reminder that AI features aren’t just judged by what they can do, but by whether people actually want them. In this case, Instagram users made their feelings clear, and Meta listened.
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