Meta Suspends AI Image Feature After Days of Backlash

Meta suspended an AI image feature that let users generate images by tagging public Instagram accounts, following backlash from talent agencies and performers over its opt-out policy. The feature, introduced Tuesday, was criticized for using public figures' likenesses without explicit consent, prompting Meta to remove it.

Meta https://variety.com/t/meta/ said on Friday it would discontinue an AI feature that allowed users to generate images using public Instagram https://variety.com/t/instagram/ accounts following days of criticism over the feature’s opt-out policy, including by talent agencies. “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,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement. “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.” Meta introduced the new Muse Image model on Tuesday, letting users manipulate an image of a person all by tagging their public Instagram account — or any public Instagram account — “in service of the social experiences billions of people already love.” Popular on Variety However, the feature was met with near immediate backlash over its “opt-out” policy, which required users above 18 with public accounts to disable the feature in order for their images to be excluded from the image generator. CAA, whose clients include the likes of Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep, said it raised its concerns https://variety.com/2026/digital/news/caa-slams-meta-opt-out-ai-muse-image-1236805387/ with Meta directly and urged the platform to take on “a more reasonable approach.” “No one’s name, image, likeness, voice or creative work should be used by any third party, including AI models, without clear, documented consent,” CAA said in a statement. “True innovation puts creators first: respecting their rights, protecting their livelihoods, and giving them real control, not handing it over to platforms.” SAG-AFTRA, the union representing U.S. performers, also urged https://variety.com/2026/film/news/sag-aftra-slams-meta-ai-instagram-photos-opt-out-1236806350/ its members on Thursday to opt out of the feature. “Take action to protect your likeness,” they wrote on social media. The reversal comes as AI companies’ continued experimentation with new features tests their users’ boundaries with how their likenesses are scraped by models. OpenAI temporarily had a similar opt-out feature for its Sora 2 video model, drawing similar https://variety.com/2025/film/news/caa-openai-sora-2-harmful-intellectual-property-1236543954/ criticism https://variety.com/2025/film/news/motion-picture-association-openai-sora-2-copyright-1236541775/ before changing its policies and, eventually, shutting it down earlier this year. Meta’s decision on Friday defuses a layer of tension within the AI space just as another one emerged. Apple on Friday afternoon sued https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/10/technology/apple-openai-lawsuit.html?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytimes OpenAI in federal court, alleging the ChatGPT maker stole company secrets. OpenAI has denied the claim.