Reporter used Meta’s new AI tool to generate images of a stranger — without them knowing

Gizmodo’s Mike Pearl tested exactly how far Meta’s newly launched Muse Image tool would go — and generated AI images of a real-world acquaintance he had never followed or interacted with on Instagram, effectively a digital stranger, without that person knowing. He managed the same with an ordinary friend, and even with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Muse Image, which launched Tuesday out of Meta Superintelligence Labs, lets anyone open the Meta AI app, tag a public Instagram handle, and generate fresh AI images built from that account’s published photos and reels — pulling “part or all” of the account’s photos, per Meta’s own wording, with no permission request and no notification sent to the account owner.

Meta AI chief Alexandr Wang had promoted the tool on launch day as a creativity unlock, posting on X that users could upload photos, @-mention friends and generate a shareable picture in seconds. What he didn’t mention is that the same @-mention feature works on strangers, since every adult with a public Instagram account was automatically opted in.

Account holders can opt out through Instagram’s “Sharing and reuse” settings under their profile menu, switching off content reuse for Posts and Reels — though anything already generated before opting out remains live.