Muse Image available on WhatsApp, Instagram Stories for US users
Meta’s Muse Image tool is available through the Meta AI app and web browser, as well as on WhatsApp and in Instagram Stories for users in the United States, the company said. The tool can generate images from text prompts and can incorporate a person’s likeness from their public Instagram profile pictures.
In a blog post, Meta said the tool uses “advanced reasoning to understand complex prompts, seamlessly blending multiple photos into high-quality creations you can download and share anywhere.” The company said users can also choose from presets and suggested prompts, as well as sketch edits directly onto images.
Meta said a dedicated setting, separate from account privacy controls, allows users to opt out even if they have a public account. To do so, users must go to Instagram’s settings menu, select “Sharing and Reuse” and switch off “Allow people to reuse your content on Instagram and with AI features at Meta” for posts and reels.
Donald Campbell, advocacy director at tech justice non-profit Foxglove, told the BBC it was an “obvious recipe for disaster.” He said, “We’ve already seen a catalogue of harms from non-consensual AI-altered images on social platforms just in the past year. It is hard to see why Mark Zuckerberg thinks facilitating yet more of this creepy image manipulation is a good idea.”
Privacy International also criticized the feature, telling the BBC it was “the latest sign AI companies see people’s images and data as raw material to be exploited.”
One user wrote on X, “Pulling real users into generated photos without explicit consent is a privacy landmine waiting to detonate.”
The feature is likely to face heightened scrutiny as regulators and campaigners raise concerns about AI-generated images. Ofcom is currently investigating X over Grok’s role in creating and sharing non-consensual AI-altered images of real people.
The BBC tested the tool, asking Muse AI to make it look like the reporter was driving a car. The AI generated an image that appeared to show the reporter driving, though the BBC noted the AI “failed to notice the steering wheel goes on the right in a UK car.”
Meta said the tool is free for “everyday creation,” and heavier users can access additional usage through one of its subscription plans. The company added Muse Image will soon be available on Facebook and Messenger, and through another tool where it can be used by advertisers. A video-generation version is reportedly in development.