Meta has launched a new AI-powered image generation tool called Muse Image, along with a video generation tool called Muse Video that will be launched later.
This announcement comes years after competing platforms launched similar features, such as X, which introduced image generation tools about two years ago, and OpenAI , which launched the video generator Sora .
But past experiences have not been without controversy, as the image generator on the "X" platform was widely criticized after it was used to create sexual images of people, including minors, during the last holiday season.
However, Meta's "Muse Image" tool appears to be raising new privacy concerns.
The biggest concern is that Muse Image uses information and photos from a user's Instagram account to create new images. According to tests conducted by Gizmodo , the tool can even access photos from private accounts, as long as the user is logged in.
If the tool cannot find enough information about a person's appearance, it may create an image of someone else and present it as representing them.
Tests also showed that the tool allows the creation of images based on photos of anyone who has an Instagram account, whether a public figure, such as Mark Zuckerberg, or an ordinary user, without prior approval.
According to Wired magazine , Instagram's default settings allow this feature to be automatically enabled for public accounts. The platform also updated its help page to clarify that photos and videos from public accounts may be used in AI features, and the resulting results may appear in search engines.
Users can disable this feature in one of two ways:
Or through the app, by going to Settings , then Sharing and Reuse , and turning off the "Allow people to use your content on Instagram with AI features in Meta" option for both posts and Reels clips.
Meta said the feature is currently available to Instagram Stories users in the United States, and has begun rolling out to some WhatsApp users, with a later rollout planned for Facebook.
As for the video generation tool “Muse Video” , it is expected to be launched in the coming period via the “Meta AI” platform .
The company confirmed that the tool includes safeguards to prevent the creation of violent, sexual, or defamatory content relating to real people, and that any offending content will be subject to enforcement procedures in accordance with its approved community standards.
