Instagram Users Can Stop Meta AI Using Their Photos

News Desk 

Islamabad: Meta’s latest artificial intelligence update for Instagram is drawing criticism after users discovered that public photos can be used to generate AI-created images by default.

The company recently introduced its Muse Image AI generator across Instagram, Meta AI, and WhatsApp, enabling users to create AI-generated images and apply new visual effects to Instagram Stories. 

The update also includes 30 new Story effects, such as a disposable camera filter, along with a redesigned image editor that previews effects before they are applied.

However, privacy advocates and social media users have raised concerns over how the feature handles public content.

Under the current rollout, public Instagram accounts are automatically enrolled, allowing Meta AI to generate images based on publicly shared photos. Users can also reference a public Instagram profile in a prompt to create AI-generated images featuring that person’s likeness.

Those who prefer not to participate can opt out by opening Instagram and navigating to Profile > Menu > Sharing and Reuse, then disabling” Allow people to create with and reuse your content” for both posts and reels.

Instagram’s Help Centre notes that users are not notified when their public content is reused by Meta AI. It also states that turning off the setting only prevents future use and does not remove AI-generated images that have already been created.

The default opt-in approach has triggered criticism online, with many users arguing they should have been asked for permission before their public photos became available for AI-generated content. Others have expressed concerns about privacy, consent, and the potential misuse of their images.

The rollout reflects Meta’s broader push to integrate generative AI across its platforms, even as questions continue to grow over how user-generated content is collected and reused for AI-powered features.