All the big tech companies are racing to build better AI models and they all need one thing to do that — your personal data. From your chats and searches to your photos and videos, your data is gold for them and Meta’s newly launched Muse Image model is a latest reminder that people need to pay more attention to their privacy settings than ever before.
What Is Meta Muse Image?
Mark Zuckerberg-owned social media giant its new AI image generation model Meta Muse that works across Meta AI, Instagram and WhatsApp.
One feature has immediately sparked privacy concerns. It is rolling out a new feature that lets people use public Instagram posts and reels to generate AI content and it’s turned on by default.
If your Instagram account is public, other people can generate AI images using your public posts, reels and even your profile photo simply by mentioning your Instagram username in a prompt.
On paper, Meta says the feature will help people create personalised invitations, creative designs and social media graphics.
“You can also @-mention Instagram accounts in the Meta AI app to bring specific Instagram profiles right into your images. Whether you want to design a custom event invitation, mock up a collaborative creative concept, or generate a personalized graphic, tagging a username lets Meta AI use public photos to build a visual that’s ready to post,” the company said.
But, the bigger question is whether users knew they were allowing other people to use their photos in AI-generated content. For many users, the answer is probably no.
Another big concern is not AI itself. AI can be useful and creative. The concern is how companies introduce these features. Instead of asking users for clear permission before enabling them, the feature works on an opt-out basis.
That means your content is included unless you go deep into Instagram settings and switch it off yourself.
Many users never check these settings, especially those who simply use Instagram to share family photos, travel memories or personal moments.
Another concerning part is that you will not receive any notification if someone uses your public Instagram content to generate AI images. Even if you later disable the setting, AI-generated images that were already created using your content will not automatically disappear.
This also raises questions about consent. Just because a photo is publicly visible does not necessarily mean its owner expects it to become part of someone else’s AI creation.
Many creators keep public Instagram accounts to build their personal brand, grow their business or connect with friends. That is very different from allowing AI systems to remix or recreate their images.
Why Experts Are Raising Concerns?
Privacy experts have repeatedly argued that companies should use an opt-in model for sensitive AI features instead of enabling them by default.
According to Prabhu Ram, VP-Industry Research Group, CyberMedia Research (CMR), Meta’s move fundamentally changes the meaning of a public profile. Until now, being public largely meant being visible and discoverable. Now, it can also mean becoming training material and creative input for AI-generated content built on a person’s likeness.
“That materially changes the risk. The issue is no longer just exposure online; it is the possibility of being repurposed, remixed, and commercialised without clear consent or meaningful control. The fact that this is enabled by default makes it even more concerning, because opt-out frameworks often depend less on informed user choice and more on user inertia,” Ram told Times Now Tech.
He stressed that the risks are especially serious for creators and influencers, whose face, identity, and persona are core to their commercial value.
“If that likeness can be freely reused or reimagined, it creates clear exposure to impersonation, fake endorsements, reputational harm, and brand dilution, with direct financial and legal consequences,” Ram warned.
“While it’s good to see platforms such as Meta introducing more use cases powered by AI, the parallel concern is that we (users) are being treated like ‘digital slaves’. All these years, we have created content on these platforms, kept them alive, and they have made money by serving ads and tapping into other monetisation avenues. Now, it looks like all these platforms are, by default and by design, risking the privacy of users,” Faisal Ali Kawoosa, Chief Analyst at TechArc, told Times Now Tech.
He further added that companies like Meta are fully aware of the fact that these platforms have become part of our digital lifestyle, and users cannot simply decide to ghost them.
“So, better to skim the situation and make them vulnerable, eventually forcing them to buy protection features and services.,” Kawoosa said.
Meta is not the only company investing heavily in AI. Google, OpenAI, Microsoft and other tech giants are also developing powerful AI models. The competition is becoming more intense every month.
However, they also need to ensure users remain in control of their own content.
