Meta's new AI feature can generate images using your Instagram profile: Here's how to stop it

Meta has launched Muse Image, its first in-house AI image generation model, bringing new creative tools to Meta AI, Instagram and WhatsApp. But alongside the product launch, the company has quietly introduced a feature that could have far-reaching privacy implications for millions of Instagram users.Under the new system, anyone can generate AI-created images using publicly available Instagram profiles as visual references. If an Instagram account is public, users can include that account's username in an AI prompt, allowing Meta's system to reference publicly shared photos while creating a new image.Unlike traditional photo-sharing features, the process does not require approval from the owner of the profile being referenced. Users whose images are used are not notified before or after an AI-generated image is created, according to Meta's own support documentation.Public accounts are included by defaultMeta says the feature is enabled by default for public Instagram accounts. Unless users manually change their privacy settings, their publicly shared content may be used with Meta's AI image generation tools.The company states in its help documentation that public Instagram content can be used with its AI features under the default account configuration. Rather than asking users to actively opt in, Meta has adopted an opt-out approach, requiring individuals to discover the setting and disable it themselves if they do not wish to participate.The rollout has drawn attention because many users may be unaware that their public posts can now serve as reference material for AI-generated content.How the feature worksMuse Image has been integrated into Meta AI and is accessible across several of the company's products. A user simply enters a text prompt and includes the @username of a public Instagram account. Meta's AI then retrieves publicly available images associated with that profile and uses them as visual references to generate a new image.The resulting image is not a direct copy of an existing photograph but an AI-generated creation based on the reference material and the accompanying prompt. Meta says the system is designed to follow user instructions while drawing from multiple visual inputs.Because the process happens entirely within Meta's AI tools, the owner of the referenced Instagram account is not informed that their public photos have been used.No alerts or activity historyOne of the more significant aspects of the rollout is the lack of transparency for affected users.According to Meta's documentation, Instagram users will not receive notifications if their public content is used for AI image generation. There is also no dashboard or activity log that allows users to see when, or how often, their profile has been referenced through the feature.This means users may never know whether AI-generated images based on their public Instagram content have been created unless those images are shared elsewhere.Opting out requires changing account settingsUsers who do not want their public Instagram content to be used with Meta's AI image generation tools can disable the feature through their account settings.The option is located under Settings, within the Sharing and Reuse section. Users need to turn off the permissions that allow their posts and reels to be used with Meta's AI features.However, changing the setting only affects future use. It does not remove AI-generated images that may already have been created before the preference was updated.Part of Meta's broader AI strategyOver the past year, firms including OpenAI, Google, Anthropic and xAI have rapidly expanded AI capabilities across text, image and video generation, prompting major platforms to integrate similar tools into consumer products.For Meta, Instagram provides access to one of the world's largest collections of publicly shared visual content, making it a valuable foundation for AI-powered creative experiences.At the same time, the rollout is likely to reignite debate around consent, transparency and the use of publicly available online content in AI systems. Privacy advocates have repeatedly argued that default opt-in settings shift the burden onto users, particularly when new AI capabilities are introduced without explicit consent or prominent notifications.