Meta on Tuesday unveiled Muse Image, its new AI image generator built by Meta Superintelligence Labs, the company’s dedicated AI unit. The feature, which was internally code-named Mango, is now available for free through the Meta AI app, as well as on Instagram Stories and WhatsApp.
What can you do with Muse? The use cases are similar to most other AI image generators — creating goofy, cartoonish images, generating custom ads, and experimenting with interior decorating ideas. The model also features prompt-based image editing, which lets users create images to share across Meta’s apps and platforms.
Meta says Muse comes with “presets” — prefabricated image prompts — to spark ideas when users are short on inspiration. However, a particularly eyebrow-raising feature allows users to manipulate another Instagram user’s images with AI, as long as that user’s profile is public.
Meta policy states that “people may be able to create content with your Instagram content using AI features at Meta” and that “you will not be notified about content created using AI features at Meta.” The company claims users “have control” over this feature, noting that settings can disable this kind of co-option of pictures.
Muse also has less invasive applications — creating custom ads and experimenting with interior decorating ideas. The model features prompt-based image editing, letting users create images to share across Meta’s apps. Meta also said Muse Video — presumably an AI video generator — is “already in development.”
Muse joins a competitive landscape alongside Google’s Gemini, OpenAI’s DALL-E, and Stability AI’s Stable Diffusion, all of which have faced similar privacy questions as generative AI becomes mainstream across social platforms.