Why Meta scrapped its new AI tool just days after launch

Days after its launch, Meta’s AI image feature has been removed from public use.

It comes after Muse Image was launched last week as part of the social media giant’s Meta Superintelligence Labs. The tool was created in a bid to expand its use of generative AI (Gen AI) across its apps, with Meta saying it would be integrated across all its apps eventually, as it seeks to achieve its goal of “personal intelligence”.

The AI feature allowed users to generate images using public Instagram accounts, which prompted significant privacy concerns. As a result, Meta said on Friday it would be discontinuing the AI feature.

“Our intent was to provide a useful creative tool and to give people control over whether their public content could be referenced in this way,” Meta said via a statement. “We’ve heard the feedback that this feature missed the market, so it’s no longer available.”

One of the main causes of discontent over Muse Image was the automatic opt-in for users, with public figures highlighting potential issues of non-consensual AI-altered images of people. The union representing actors and media professionals, SAF-AFTRA, urged its members to opt out of the feature and, following Meta’s decision to remove the feature, said: “With the dangers of nonconsensual digital replicas well ⁠known to all, a feature that encouraged that behaviour is unwise. We appreciate its discontinuance. It is the responsible thing to do.”

Privacy International also spoke out against the feature, telling the BBC it was “the latest sign AI companies see people’s images and data as raw material to be exploited”.

This isn’t the first time a company has released a new AI tool and has had to withdraw it from the public quickly. Anthropic recently launched its Fable 5 model as part of its Claude AI family and, after security risks cited by the US government, suspended access to “foreign nationals”. It is now back online.

However, the case with Meta comes amid regulators and campaigners increasingly raising concerns about AI-generated images, with tools like Muse Image facing greater scrutiny. For instance, Ofcom continues to investigate Elon Musk’s xAI over Grok’s role in creating and sharing non-consensual AI-altered images of real people, including deepfakes of women and underage girls.

More broadly, Muse Image speaks to a growing trend of big tech versus public pressure, particularly when AI tools are added to online platforms people use without their permission. Pressure on technology companies to enable users to control how they use new features, particularly AI-led ones, is growing. It remains to be seen how situations like this will unfold moving forward and if big tech will take public concerns to heart.

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