Meta's new AI image generation model, Muse Image, has come under widespread fire for allowing anyone to type your Instagram handle into Muse AI and generate an image or reel from your public or profile photos on the platform without your knowledge or consent. So, if you don't want your likeness to be misused, keep reading to learn how to opt out of Meta's Muse Image on Instagram.
Update: On July 11, 2026, Meta released a statement confirming that it had removed the feature in response to ongoing backlash. However, we have confirmed that the option is still available within Instagram settings under a new "Allow people to create with and reuse your content" section.
What is Meta Muse Image and Why Is It Facing Backlash?
Meta, the company who owns WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram, launched its latest image generation model called Muse Image on July 7, 2026. It lets users generate images or edit photos through the Meta AI app, WhatsApp and Instagram, similar to other AI models we have seen before.
But it has been facing online backlash since its launch due to privacy concerns on Instagram. Meta AI allows anyone to use your likeness from public posts, Reels, or profile pictures and create an image or Reel out of it using Muse Image. The worst part is that the account owner is not informed about this.
The feature is enabled by default on public Instagram accounts, which covers roughly 75% of all users since most accounts are set to public. That means an estimated 1.8 billion Instagram accounts were automatically rolled into using the Meta AI Muse Image.
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How to Stop Meta AI Muse Image on Instagram
Anyone who doesn't want to compromise their posts, profile photo or their likeness to Instagram's Muse Image will need to opt out from the app's settings.
- Open your Instagram profile and tap on the 3-lines icon at the top right.
- Next, scroll down and tap on Sharing and reuse.
- In the "Allow people to create with and reuse your content" section, turn off the Posts and Reels toggles separately.
Both toggles need to be turned off since they are separate settings. This is how you can turn off Meta AI access to your public account.
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Switch Your Instagram Account to Private
The only other option besides opting out of settings is to switch your Instagram account to private. A private account is not accessible to Meta AI's Muse Image access since it does not pull photos from accounts that are not publicly visible.
- To switch to private, open your Instagram profile page and tap on the 3-lines at the top right.
- Here, navigate to Account privacy.
- Now, turn on the Private account toggle inside "Account privacy".
- Tap on Switch to private to save changes.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Will I be notified if someone creates an image with my Instagram handle?
No. There is no notification system in place. If someone generates an AI image or video using your likeness through Muse Image, you will not receive any alert or indication that it happened.
Q. Does opting out from Muse Image prevent my photos from being used by others?
Yes. Opting out of the Muse Image feature revokes your permission to allow Meta AI to use your likeness for other Instagram users on the app to generate images or reels.
Q. What if I only have a few public posts?
The Muse Image model can work with as few as three to five clear photos of a person's face to generate a reasonably accurate likeness. Even a small number of public posts may be enough for the system to generate images.
These are all the cautionary steps you can take to stop Meta AI Muse Image from using your Instagram photos and prevent others from misusing or creating deep fakes with it. If you want to further safeguard your data from being sent off to AI, then there are some other privacy settings you should change on your Android and iPhone, and we have a dedicated read on it that you can take a look at.
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