SAG-AFTRA urges Instagram users to opt out of Meta's Muse Image AI feature
The actors' union is warning members and all Instagram users that Meta's new Muse Image tool can generate AI images from public profiles unless users change their settings, and it is urging them to opt out.
SAG-AFTRA is calling on its members and all Instagram users to modify their account settings to prevent Meta's Muse Image model from creating AI-generated images using their photos. The feature, integrated into the Instagram app, allows anyone to tag a public profile in a prompt and generate an image that incorporates the account holder’s likeness, according to a report by Wired.
The union posted on social media that Meta now permits the use of Instagram photos in AI images without consent and recommended that users opt out of the Muse Image tool. It provided step-by-step instructions: open Instagram, go to the profile menu, select the three-line icon, scroll to the “Sharing and reuse” tab, and toggle off the options labeled “Allow people to use your content on Instagram and with AI features on Meta” for both Posts and Reels.
Meta’s help center notes that users will not receive notifications when AI-generated content is created from their public posts. SAG-AFTRA’s warning follows similar concerns raised by the talent agency CAA, which said it had voiced objections to the opt-out policy directly with Meta. CAA emphasized that creators’ name, image, likeness, voice, or work should not be used by third parties, including AI models, without clear, documented consent.