Meta has removed a feature from its new Muse AI photo and video tools that had sparked outrage from Hollywood power players like CAA and SAG-AFTRA.
The tech giant on Friday evening said that it had pulled functionality that let users create AI content by tagging another public user to effectively remix their content. The company made it applicable to all public Instagram profiles unless users actively opted out of the feature.
“Earlier this week, we announced that one way for people to generate images in Meta AI is by a-mentioning public Instagram accounts that they want to reference,” the company said in a statement Friday. “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 feedback that this feature missed the mark, so it’s no longer available.
The feature had sparked outrage from Hollywood power players, including CAA, which said in a statement Wednesday that “no one’s name, image, likeness, voice, or creative work should be used by any third party, including AI models, without clear, documented consent. “
SAG-AFTRA followed with a statement of its own, saying that “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.”
It seems Meta has heard those concerns in dropping the functionality.
After the news was unveiled Friday, CAA released a statement commending the decision, which read, “We commend Meta for its swift decision to remove the Muse Image feature. Putting individual rights and consent at the forefront is essential to building responsible technology. We look forward to ongoing conversations to ensure creators stay protected as technology evolves.”
The backtrack bears a striking similarity to OpenAI’s backlash to the launch of its Sora app last year, which launched with limited IP protections, resulting in a slew of infringing characters, including many recognizable celebrities and figures, before backing away a few days later and cracking down on it. OpenAI, ultimately, nixed Sora as it shifted its strategy toward enterprise customers.
July 10, 6:18 p.m. Updated with CAA’s statement.
