Meta has unveiled Muse Image, its new AI image generator developed by Meta Superintelligence Labs, the company’s dedicated artificial intelligence unit.
The feature, internally code-named Mango, is now available for free through the Meta AI app, as well as on Instagram Stories and WhatsApp. While Muse Image offers many of the familiar capabilities found in other AI image generators, one specific feature has already triggered controversy over privacy and user consent.
What Is Muse Image?
Muse Image is Meta’s new AI-powered image generation model. It allows users to create images from text prompts, including playful, cartoonish, creative, and shareable visuals across Meta’s apps.
Meta says the tool also includes ready-made presets, which are prewritten image prompts designed to help users generate ideas quickly when they do not know what to create.
In practice, Muse Image is part of Meta’s broader push to make AI image creation a built-in feature across its social platforms, especially Instagram, WhatsApp, and the Meta AI app.
The Controversial Instagram Photo Feature
The most controversial part of Muse Image is a feature that allows users to manipulate another Instagram user’s images with AI, as long as that person’s profile is public.
According to reports, users can tag another person and use their image to create a new AI-generated picture. This has raised concerns because people may find their public photos used in AI-generated content without explicit permission or direct notification.
Critics argue that allowing real users to be pulled into AI-generated images without clear consent could become a major privacy risk, especially on a platform as visually driven as Instagram.
Will Users Be Notified?
Meta’s policy states that people may be able to create content using your Instagram content through AI features at Meta. It also says users will not be notified when content is created using these AI tools.
Meta says users still have control, pointing to settings that allow them to disable this type of use. However, the key concern is that the feature appears to work on an opt-out basis, meaning users may need to manually turn it off rather than actively give permission first.
This has made Muse Image another flashpoint in the wider debate over how major technology companies use personal data, public photos, and AI-generated content.
Muse Image for Ads and Interior Design
Beyond the privacy debate, Muse Image also offers several practical use cases.
One of them is creating custom ads, as AI-generated visuals continue to become more common in digital advertising. Another use case is interior design. In a promotional example, Meta shows a user using Muse to imagine how a secondhand couch would look inside a garage before buying it.
This feature appears to connect naturally with Facebook Marketplace, where users often browse secondhand furniture and home items. AI-generated visual previews could help shoppers make faster buying decisions by seeing how an item might look in their own space.
Prompt-Based Image Editing
Muse Image also supports prompt-based image editing. Users can ask the model to modify existing photos, remove unwanted objects, create new scenes, or generate shareable visuals across Meta’s platforms.
Meta has promoted examples such as placing a user in front of a historical landmark, removing a photobomber from the background, or generating an image that includes a functional QR code.
The company is also rolling out new AI effects for Instagram Stories, powered by Muse. These include customizable filters and tools that can modify existing photos directly inside the app.
Free for Everyday Creation—With Limits
Meta says Muse Image is free for “everyday creation,” but users will need a subscription plan if they exceed a certain usage limit.
The company has not clearly detailed the limit or the pricing structure for heavier use. However, the launch signals Meta’s intention to make generative AI a regular part of how users create, edit, and share content across its ecosystem.
Meta also confirmed that Muse Video, which is expected to be an AI video generator, is already in development.
Why Muse Image Is Raising Privacy Concerns
The concern around Muse Image is not only about the tool itself. It is also linked to Meta’s broader history with privacy issues.
In 2019, Meta paid a record $5 billion fine to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission after the Cambridge Analytica scandal, where data from tens of millions of Facebook users was improperly harvested without their knowledge and used for political targeting ahead of the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
In 2021, Meta also shut down Facebook’s facial recognition system after years of lawsuits and regulatory pressure over biometric data collection and automatic identification of people in photos and videos.
Against that backdrop, Muse Image’s ability to use public Instagram images for AI-generated content has revived old concerns about whether users truly have control over how their photos and personal data are used.
Meta’s Expanding AI Strategy
Muse Image is part of Meta’s growing lineup of AI tools and services. Over the past year, the company has launched several AI-focused products, including an AI assistant called Creator and Pocket, an app designed to help users vibe-code video games.
Although Meta has faced criticism for having an unclear AI strategy, the company continues to invest heavily in AI infrastructure as it competes with major players such as OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft.
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