Anyone can now use your Instagram photos to generate AI images, here's how to opt out

Earlier this week, Meta launched Muse Image, a new AI image generation feature that lets users create original images, edit existing photos, and even generate custom ads directly within its apps. At first glance, there’s nothing that separates Muse Image from countless other AI image generators available across the board.

However, there’s one Muse Image capability that quickly caused controversy. Namely, Muse Image lets users generate AI images using photos pulled from public Instagram accounts. As long as someone's profile is public, another user can tag that account and use their photos as part of an AI-generated creation. Only private accounts and users under 18 are automatically excluded.

This feature caused significant backlash, as soon as the broader public learned about it. It’s unclear why Meta even decided to allow this, as if it hasn’t learned anything from Grok’s case from earlier this year, where users were abusing Elon Musk’s AI to generate explicit images of various X users, celebrities, and even underage children.

If we can find at least one positive in this, Meta actually gave users a way to opt out of having their Instagram profiles exposed to Muse Image. So, if your Instagram profile is public, and you don’t want virtually everyone to use your photos with Muse Image, you’ll probably want to turn it off.

Here’s how to do that:

1. Open Instagram and go to your profile.
2. Tap the three horizontal lines in the top right corner.
3. Scroll down to Sharing and reuse.
4. Find the toggle labeled "Allow people to use your content on Instagram with AI features on Meta."
5. Switch it off for both posts and Reels.

If you don’t see this option, make sure to update the Instagram app on your phone to the latest version.

The very existence of this feature is a strange fit with Meta’s own recent efforts. The company has been vocal about making its platforms safer to use, especially for children. Having content from millions of users directly available for AI remixing certainly doesn’t fit that blueprint.