We have yet another image generator in the market now, and it seems like big tech just wants to keep shoving these products our way. On Tuesday, Meta dropped the Muse Image, another AI image generator, which is developed by Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL). The product, which was internally nicknamed Mango, is now available and free to use through the Meta AI app, Instagram and WhatsApp. Now, just like any other AI image generator, this one has also landed in a controversy.
In an X post, Meta has expressed that its new image generation tools can now make images on "Instagram for social context." This implies that this tool can draw images based on your Instagram activity, but the scoop here is that it also allows anyone to make an image that has you in it by just tagging your public Instagram account in a simple prompt. This has met with controversy online as users are coming up and speaking against it, as the fact that it can just draw your image by just simple tagging and prompting is a privacy violation. A user on X wrote, “Pulling real users into generated photos without explicit consent is a privacy landmine waiting to detonate.”
According to the company's policy framework, “people may be able to create content with your Instagram content using AI features at Meta," but your account needs to be public for that, and apart from that, it also states that people will be notified if there is any “content created using AI features at Meta”.
All this is enabled by default, but Meta states that users will be able to opt out of these settings if they wish to by going through settings. Another way to stop this privacy violation is to make your account private, although images already created using this invasive method will still remain. This definitely seems like a forced step for users worldwide.
All You Need To Know About This Image Generation Tool
This new tool comes with many features, and Meta has expressed that it can be used to create images just like any other AI model and can also create cartoon-style images. Users will be able to choose from various presets or can also opt for ready-made prompts. The model will also have 30 new AI effects when it comes to Instagram stories, but first, the rollout will begin in the US, and then a global rollout will happen. Some of these filters include custom filters that can alter the state of the existing photos.
This new AI tool can also edit images with a simple prompt. Meta also says that complex images like invitations or postcards can also be made with this tool. This Muse Image tool is the second major release by Meta's MSL, which is headed by Alexander Wang, and takes place after the launch of the Muse Spark Large Language Model that took place in April. Wang has said that Muse Image is agentic in nature and functions in cooperation with Muse Spark “to reason through your prompt, search the web, and plan before it generates".
Muse Image is not the only thing that was launched, but Meta also showcased yet another AI video maker, Muse Video, which currently sits under development.
Is This Free?
Meta says that it is free of cost but will have a usage limit, and users who cross that will have to wait for the limit to reset or, yes, you guessed it, pay for a subscription plan like Meta One. Meta might also bring this feature to Facebook Messenger as well later this year. Currently, the feature has made its way to only Instagram and direct WhatsApp messages, apart from the Meta AI app.
This tool is also being pushed as an aid to business for advertising, where the tool is supposed to focus more on advertisement-focused image generation within Advantage Plus, which aids brands in creating marketing content and also automates parts of campaign work. How this will impact real humans doing the job is yet to be known. Muse image variants will start showing up soon to advertisers and agencies, the company has expressed.
But the central risk of having this type of technology is privacy and how individuals who are unwilling to do so can be protected from it. This isn't the first time Meta is facing such scrutiny, focusing on privacy. The company has already paid hefty fees in the past to the US FTC, which was US$5 billion. The regulators had found out that Cambridge Analytica had taken the data of millions of Facebook users without their consent or knowledge. In 2021, Meta had to shut down the facial recognition feature on Facebook as well, which was collecting biometric data. Apart from that, Meta is also facing a hefty fine of up to $1.4 trillion for damaging the mental health of teenagers on Instagram. Amid all this, Meta decided to release yet another AI tool that could violate privacy; it's yet to be seen how it will be dealt with.