Instagram pulls new AI feature after widespread backlash

Social media giant Meta is pulling the plug on a newly launched AI feature for its Meta AI chatbot following a significant backlash over privacy concerns. The feature, which allowed users to edit AI-generated images directly through sketches, was criticized for being an automatic opt-in for users and for potentially using public Instagram account data.

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Our intent was to provide a useful creative tool and to give people control over whether their public content could be referenced in this way.

Meta acknowledged the criticism, stating, "We've heard the feedback that this feature missed the mark, so it's no longer available." The company had introduced the Muse Image feature, its first image-generation model from Meta Superintelligence Labs, on Tuesday. It could use photos as input and enable users to refine generated images with sketches.

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We've heard the feedback that this feature missed the mark, so it's no longer available.

The decision to discontinue the feature was welcomed by the Hollywood union SAG-AFTRA. A spokesperson for the union stated, "With the dangers of non-consensual digital replicas well known to all, a feature that encouraged that behaviour is unwise." SAG-AFTRA had previously urged its members and other Instagram users to opt out of the feature, emphasizing that anything less than a clear and conspicuous opt-in for such uses of user images is unacceptable.

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Anything other than a clear and conspicuous opt-in for these types of uses of Instagram users' images is unacceptable, and an utter miscalculation of public sentiment regarding the obvious dangers and harms inherent in such use.

This reversal highlights the increasing pressure on technology companies to provide users with transparent control over how their publicly shared content is utilized by AI technologies. The feature's discontinuation reflects a broader industry reckoning with the ethical implications and public sentiment surrounding AI's integration into social media platforms.

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With the dangers of non-consensual digital replicas well known to all, a feature that encouraged that behaviour is unwise.