SAG‑AFTRA urges Instagram users to opt out of Meta’s Muse Image over likeness concerns

SAG-AFTRA is urging members and other Instagram users to opt out of Meta’s new Muse Image feature, warning that the tool can generate AI images that reference photos from public Instagram accounts by default unless users change the setting or make their accounts private.

The key nuance is that this is not a blanket, no-consent system. Reporting that cited Instagram help text said public accounts are included by default, but users can opt out. Private accounts are not included in the reuse setting, according to those reports.

In a Bluesky post on Friday, the actors union said: “Meta now lets anyone use your Instagram photos in AI images without your consent. SAG‑AFTRA recommends that #SagAftraMembers (and all Instagram users) opt‑OUT of Meta’s new AI image generation tool, Muse Image. Take action to protect your likeness.” SAG-AFTRA has been active in pushing for AI consent and likeness protections for performers and creators.

Meta announced Muse Image on July 7 on its AI blog, describing it as Meta Superintelligence Labs’ first image-generation model. The company said the feature is available “today” across the Meta AI app, meta.ai, Instagram Stories in the U.S. and WhatsApp in limited countries, with Facebook coming later. In the product description, Meta said Muse Image supports “Images generated in Meta AI with @-mention of public Instagram accounts.”

That product detail has raised concerns because it allows other users to use public Instagram content as a visual reference in AI-generated images. According to Instagram help text quoted by WIRED, people with public accounts “may be able to create content with your Instagram content using AI features at Meta,” and “You will not be notified about content created using AI features at Meta.”

WIRED and other outlets reported that the opt-out can be found in the Instagram app under Settings, then Sharing and reuse, in a setting labeled “Allow people to use your content on Instagram and with AI features on Meta,” with separate toggles for Posts and Reels. Reports also said the change applies going forward and does not delete AI images that were already created using an account’s content. Some outlets said the toggle may not yet be visible to all users as the rollout continues.

The warning from SAG-AFTRA followed criticism from Public Citizen, the consumer advocacy group, a day after Meta’s announcement. On July 8, the group said: “Meta has once again chosen the creepiest possible path. People should not wake up to discover their face has become raw material for someone else’s AI experiment.”

The feature matters because it touches on privacy, creator control and likeness rights, especially when account owners may not be told when their public images are used in AI-generated content. It also arrives after earlier scrutiny in Europe over Meta’s AI-related use of public Facebook and Instagram posts, a debate that has centered on whether opt-out systems give users enough control.