Meta has pulled a controversial feature from its new Muse Image model after widespread criticism. The feature let users generate AI images of other people by @-mentioning their public Instagram accounts, no consent needed, just a username. It was on by default, and anyone who didn't want their photos used had to manually opt out through Instagram's settings.

Meta admitted "this feature missed the mark" and shut it down just days after announcing it. The company said it had wanted to offer "a useful creative tool and to give people control over whether their public content could be referenced in this way." In Europe, the feature likely wouldn't have survived anyway due to stricter data protection rules.

Meta may have borrowed the idea from OpenAI's now-discontinued Sora app, which let users create "cameos" of themselves and, with permission, allow others to use those in their videos. The feature was a viral hit at launch, but interest faded fast.