MENLO PARK, Calif., July 12 (San Francisco News Online) — Meta, which is based in San Francisco, has removed an Instagram AI image feature that let people generate pictures by @-mentioning public accounts. The company said the tool is “no longer available” after it “missed the mark.”
What the tool did
Meta introduced the feature earlier this week. In its statement, the company said people could generate images in Meta AI by @-mentioning public Instagram accounts they wanted to reference. Coverage of Meta’s announcement said the system used public-profile posts or content as reference material.
That meant the tool was not limited to a single prompt or uploaded photo. Instead, it could draw on content tied to public Instagram accounts.
Why it drew criticism
The main concern was the opt-out setup.
According to reporting that quoted Meta’s statement, public accounts were automatically included unless users chose to turn the feature off. Coverage said people 18 and older with public accounts had to disable it if they did not want their images referenced. Users under 18 were excluded.
That design drew criticism from social media users, talent agencies and SAG-AFTRA, the Hollywood performers union, according to the reporting. Critics objected to the idea that public content could be used unless a user took extra steps to stop it.
What Meta said
Meta said it built the feature to give people a creative tool and to let them control whether public content could be referenced.
“We’ve heard the feedback that this feature missed the mark, so it’s no longer available,” Meta said in the statement quoted by Fox 9, Variety and Reuters reporting carried by LiveMint.
Meta also said earlier this week that people could use the feature by @-mentioning public Instagram accounts. By Friday, the company said the feature was removed.
How the industry reacted
Variety reported that CAA welcomed the change. In a statement quoted by the publication, the agency said, “We applaud Meta for its prompt decision to eliminate the Muse Image feature.”
Reuters reporting carried by LiveMint also said SAG-AFTRA criticized the tool before Meta pulled it.
What changed for users
The practical change is simple: the Instagram AI image feature is gone. People can no longer use it to generate images by referencing public Instagram accounts.
For users, that means Meta has shut off a feature that tied AI image generation to public social media content. For Meta, it is another example of a product being altered quickly after complaints about privacy and control.
The company has not said whether it will bring back a similar tool in a different form.
