Why Instagram users are freaking out over new Meta AI photo edit feature and how to stop it

Published 10 July 2026 · tech

This week, Meta launched its new AI image-generation tool, Muse Image. You can now use Muse Image to generate images on WhatsApp, Meta AI app

This week, Meta launched its new AI image-generation tool, Muse Image. You can now use Muse Image to generate images on WhatsApp, Meta AI app, or for Instagram Stories with tons of customisation options. But there is a catch. If you have a public Instagram account, you are not the only one who can use it to create your images. Rather, anyone can simply tag your account and create photos with Muse Image. Read Full Story You see, Muse Image comes with a feature that allows people to use photos from public Instagram accounts in AI-generated images. This can be done by simply tagging your Instagram account in a prompt. And when someone does create any image based on your account, you will not be notified. Meta describes the feature as a way to personalise AI generations. In one announcement, the company said tagging a username could help Meta AI use public photos as “social context” to build visuals for uses such as event invitations, creative concepts or personalised graphics. To give you an example, here is a screenshot from Meta AI of how someone can create an image this way.

You can just tag a public Instagram account to create an image on Meta AI. Internet outraged over Meta AI using Instagram accounts This has sparked outrage online as users have raised privacy concerns. A key point of contention here is that as default, every public Instagram account is opted-in for this feature. That is, you have to manually opt-out to stop Meta AI from letting others from using your Instagram account to make images. One user on X called this a “sneaky corporate move.” They claimed that most Instagram users will not know about this feature. The user wrote, “They (Meta) know exactly what they’re doing because most casual users will never even realise their private data is being stolen to train Meta's AI. Distasteful.” One person called the feature distasteful. Another person found it unsettling that a company like Meta could use their images for AI content without explicitly notifying them. The person posted, “It’s a bit crazy that our public pics can be used for AI stuff without us really knowing.” Users are freaking out over this feature. This has raised concerns particularly when it comes to potential misuse online.

Another user believed that Instagram may be encouraging people to create AI images of others. The user replied, “Basically Instagram is promoting that you can use anyone's pics without permission and use them to generate ai images including some explicit content and it's very concerning especially for girls.” Some believe that the feature might be misused. Keep in mind that Elon Musk’s Grok AI chatbot was under scrutiny earlier this year after users on X used the AI chatbot to strip people into bikinis without their consent. X later restricted Grok to only paid users on the app. How to stop Meta AI from using your Instagram account? In case you have a public Instagram account, and don’t want someone to create your images on Meta AI, here is what you need to do. Open Instagram and go to your profile Tap the three horizontal lines in the top-right corner Scroll to “Sharing and reuse” Find the setting that says “Allow people to reuse your content on Instagram and with AI features on Meta” Turn off the toggles for both Posts and Reels A screenshot of the toggles that allow Meta AI to use your Instagram account for images.