Meta, Muse Image, and Users’ Faces: CAA’s Attack

The Creative Artists Agency has challenged Meta over the consent policy applied to Muse Image, the new image generator developed by Meta Superintelligence Labs.

Its most controversial feature allows users to include the @-mention of a public Instagram account in a prompt and use photographs from that profile as references for generating new images. For adult users with public accounts, the option is enabled automatically: anyone who does not want to allow such reuse must disable it.

Meta says that adults with public profiles can opt out in just a few steps and has also promised to take action against content that violates its Community Standards.

Muse Image Uses Public Instagram Profiles in Prompts

Meta launched Muse Image on July 7, 2026.

It is the first visual-generation model produced by Meta Superintelligence Labs and is available through the Meta AI app, on meta.ai, in Instagram Stories in the United States and in Meta AI chats on WhatsApp in selected countries. It is expected to arrive on Facebook and Messenger at a later date. The model also powers more than 30 effects for Stories and will be integrated into Advantage+ creative advertising tools over the coming weeks.

The disputed feature allows users to reference a public Instagram profile directly within a prompt. Meta AI uses the available photographs to incorporate that person into the generated image. Private accounts and profiles belonging to users under the age of 18 are excluded automatically. Adults with public profiles must instead open Instagram’s settings, go to the “Sharing and reuse” section and disable the controls relating to posts and Reels.

Instagram does not notify users when someone uses their content through Meta’s AI features. Moreover, opting out only prevents future generations: images that have already been created are not deleted. Protection therefore depends on manual action taken before the content is used.

CAA Demands Explicit Consent and Rapid Removals

CAA, whose clients include Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Zendaya, Dwayne Johnson and Meryl Streep, has stated that names, images, likenesses, voices and creative works should not be used by third parties or artificial-intelligence models without clear and documented consent. The agency communicated its objections directly to Meta on behalf of its clients.

Its main demand is to reverse the current approach: automatic protection for everyone, with access granted only to those who voluntarily choose to authorise the use of their image. CAA is also calling for tools that allow artists to set limits, monitor usage and prevent unauthorised endorsements or commercial exploitation. It also wants clear disclosure when content is artificially generated, simple systems for identifying it and rapid procedures for having it removed.

CAA had previously criticised a similar policy adopted by OpenAI for Sora 2, which required rights holders to object to the use of their material. The Motion Picture Association also challenged that policy, after which Sam Altman announced more detailed controls for rights holders. With Muse Image, permission still comes only after automatic activation: at present, anyone who wants to prevent the use of their image must know that the feature exists, locate the relevant setting and disable it.