Meta launches Muse Image AI generator, but users are already raising privacy concerns

The feature quickly raised privacy concerns online, with critics arguing that it follows an opt-out model rather than requiring users to explicitly opt in before their public content can be reused for AI creations.

‘No opt-in, only opt-out’

Meta maintains that people ‘have control’ over how their content is used through Instagram’s content reuse settings, which allow users to disable reuse of their public content. Nevertheless, privacy advocates have questioned why the feature is enabled by default instead of requiring users to opt in.

Beyond the controversy, Muse includes several other features. Users can generate images using preset prompts, perform AI-powered image editing tasks such as removing unwanted objects from photos, and create customised visuals for sharing across Meta’s platforms.

Meta is also integrating Muse with advertising and commerce services. The company demonstrated how users could visualise furniture from Facebook Marketplace in their homes by generating AI mock-ups. New AI-powered effects for Instagram Stories, including custom filters and image transformations, are also being rolled out.

The launch comes as Meta continues to expand its AI offerings across its ecosystem. The company has introduced several AI tools over the past year and is investing heavily in artificial intelligence infrastructure. The debate has also revived broader questions about Meta’s handling of user data, given its history of privacy controversies, including the Cambridge Analytica scandal and the shutdown of its facial-recognition system in 2021.

Meta has also confirmed that an AI video generator called Muse Video is already in development.