Meta U-turns on feature that lets users make AI images using other people’s snaps

The feature was briefly rolled out on Instagram,WhatsApp and the Meta AI app (Picture: AFP or licensors)

Meta has abruptly ditched a feature that allowed users to generate AI images using other people’s photos without notifying them.

The feature was rolled out on July 7 and made available in the UK through the Meta AI app and web browser,and on WhatsApp and via the Instagram app for users in the US. 

But it was heavily criticised after it was revealed that users had to opt out if they did not want their public photos to be available for use in AI-generated mixes. 

Users were also not notified when someone generated an AI image using their photos,meaning a person’s posts could be manipulated without their knowledge. 

Three days later,on July 10,Meta admitted the feature had ‘missed the mark’ and removed it from its apps.

Meta admitted it had ‘missed the mark’ (Picture: Thilina Kaluthotage/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

In a statement,it said: ‘Earlier this week,we announced that one way for people to generate images in Meta AI is by @-mentioning public Instagram accounts that they want to reference.

‘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.

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

How did the feature work?

The feature was the first image generation model from social media giant Meta,which advertised it as a fun way to create fake photos featuring real people. 

All public accounts could be used in generative AI remixes,allowing users to tag an account’s profile in a prompt before Meta AI would generate an image. 

Users had to opt out of the feature,rather than opting in (Picture: Getty Images)

Public bodies such as the Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) pointed to the ‘obvious dangers and harms inherent’ in the feature.

The new tool also sparked criticism from various digital rights campaigners. A spokesperson for Open Rights Group told Metro that the feature created serious privacy concerns. 

‘At the very least,such a feature should not be switched on by default but only activated when Meta users choose to opt in,’ they told us.

‘Instead,people have to opt out’.

Online safety campaigner Adele Zeynep Walton agreed that opt-out models do not go far enough to keep users safe.

‘This feature raises serious questions about consent,privacy and property theft. A photograph is not just an image; it is personal data,and people should have meaningful control over how their likeness is used,processed and repurposed by AI,’ she told Metro.

Following Meta’s decision to remove the feature,SAG-AFTRA said: ‘With ​the dangers of nonconsensual ​digital replicas well known to ​all,a feature that encouraged that behavior is unwise.

‘We appreciate ​its discontinuance. It ‌is the responsible ​thing to do.’

Meta was approached for comment.