1. Mark Zuckerberg seems intent on using AI to transform every aspect of his business, including what many view as the last good thing about Meta, which is Instagram. The company just rolled out Muse Image, a new AI image generation tool that allows anyone to create new images based on images currently posted on Instagram. This includes celebrities and public figures, many of whom thought they were just using the service to share personal pictures with their followers. Predictably, the feature isn’t something users turn on and opt into. No, this is automatically on for all users, and in order to avoid having their images used, users must opt out of the Muse Image tool.
This has all come as a surprise to many celebrities and the organizations that represent them. The actors’ union SAG-AFTRA quickly issued a statement regarding the new Instagram policy: “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.” The union also posted an instruction guide on how to opt out of the AI feature “to avoid AI generations of your Instagram posts without switching your account to private.”
Similarly, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), the management company behind Ariana Grande, Tom Hanks, Beyoncé, Will Smith, Adele, Zendaya, Lady Gaga and many others, also voiced opposition to the AI feature. “No one’s name, image, likeness, voice, or creative work should be used by any third party, including AI models, without clear, documented consent. True innovation puts creators first: respecting their rights, protecting their livelihoods, and giving them real control, not handing it over to platforms,” CAA said in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. “We have raised our concerns with Meta on behalf of our clients, voicing our disapproval and perspective on the need for a more responsible approach. We call on Meta to make protection the default on Muse Image, not the exception, and enable individuals to opt in if they want to allow usage of their image or likeness for AI content creation.”
Fuel on the Anti-AI Fire: AI has enough public perception problems now that nearly every actor and singer is voicing concerns about the future of their livelihoods in the face of AI tools threatening to replace them. The bad marketing AI didn’t need was Zuckerberg taking his habitual overreach regarding data and privacy into the supposed safe space of Instagram.
I’ve long said that if it weren’t for Instagram constantly giving Meta and Zuckerberg a positive brand wash, Meta would look even worse. Now that Zuckerberg has forced his AI obsession onto Instagram, we may see the first major cracks form in what has been Meta’s most bulletproof brand. This should also serve as a warning to other social media platforms engaging in such AI tactics with user data and images. Social media platforms are built on trust. But if users can’t trust that their special moments will remain theirs to do with as they see fit, no matter what the “Terms and Conditions” say in the fine print, many users will find other ways to share the content that these platforms are built on.
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MAN AND ROBOTS is a weekly column from MARS Magazine on AI, Hollywood, and the future of work. All editorial text is written by humans.
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