J.B. Branch, director of federal AI governance and technology policy at the consumer nonprofit organization Public Citizen, says Meta has chosen 'the creepiest possible path'

Meta's Muse Image rolls out inside the Meta AI chatbot, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Users can generate images of friends from public Instagram posts. Opt-out available.

Its first picture-generating model is the latest test of Meta's effort to close the gap with cutting-edge AI rivals.

Meta launched Muse Image on July 7, 2026, free on Instagram and WhatsApp. It can use public Instagram photos by default. What it does, and how to opt out.

Meta's Muse Image AI generator draws criticism for its data privacy features. Users can create images from public Instagram photos without explicit consent. This feature, enabled…