On Friday, Meta announced the discontinuation of an artificial intelligence feature that enabled users to create images by referencing public Instagram accounts. This decision came just days after the tool was launched as part of a larger suite of AI-driven creative enhancements on Instagram.
The company shared this update via its Instagram blog, emphasizing the original aim of providing a valuable creative resource while giving users control over the reference of their public content. However, Meta acknowledged the feedback indicating that the feature did not resonate well with users and has therefore been removed.
This feature was initially unveiled on Tuesday, along with over 30 new AI-infused effects for Instagram Stories, all powered by Muse Image, the debut image-generation model from Meta Superintelligence Labs. Instagram noted that these new effects enable users to effortlessly enhance photos with just one tap; additionally, a redesigned editing composer lets users view AI-generated modifications prior to sharing.
As part of the feature launch, Meta had also included an option for users to @-mention public Instagram accounts within Meta AI to create unique images featuring those accounts, such as custom birthday cards or group trip memes. Instagram expressed its commitment to ensuring that users have control over how their content can be utilized in creative works, allowing them to opt out of AI-generated references through the app’s Sharing and Reuse settings.
Meanwhile, SAG-AFTRA, the union representing performers across various media, encouraged its members to withdraw from this feature, calling on them to "Take action to protect your likeness."
Neal K. Shah, a caregiving researcher backed by the NIH and CEO of CareYaya, reported experiencing the misuse of his likeness in AI-generated advertisements promoting dubious supplements targeting dementia assistance. Shah described alarming real-time incidents of fraud where individuals reached out to him after seeing ads that falsely depicted him endorsing products he had never approved.
Shah articulated the distressing situation, explaining that many elderly individuals fell victim to scams using his image, leaving him powerless to rectify the matter. In light of this, he has begun to caution viewers in his own videos about these fraudulent ads and has invested considerable time addressing inquiries from followers regarding the authenticity of the endorsements. Despite his efforts to report these ads to Meta, they've remained visible on the platform.
With Friday’s update, the ability to generate images through @-mentioning public Instagram accounts has been eliminated, although the rollout of Instagram's new AI-driven creative tools continues.
Meta has strategically centered its business around artificial intelligence, broadening the deployment of AI capabilities across its platforms—Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger—while significantly investing in AI infrastructure and the development of its Llama AI models.
In response to an inquiry from FOX Business, Meta redirected attention to the updated blog post detailing this recent change.
