Meta has removed a controversial feature that let people alter photos from public Instagram accounts using artificial intelligence. The tool, introduced earlier this week alongside other AI updates, "missed the mark" and is no longer available, the company stated.

Earlier this week, Meta launched Muse Image, a new AI image generator developed by its dedicated AI division, Meta Superintelligence Labs. The company promoted a specific capability that allowed users to create images by @-mentioning public Instagram accounts they wanted to reference. This feature did not notify account owners when their photos were used in this way, sparking immediate criticism.

Now, Meta has reversed its decision. In a blog post on Friday, the company announced it was pulling the feature. Dylan Byers, founding partner of Puck News, was the first to report the move.

"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," Meta wrote in the blog post. "We’ve heard the feedback that this feature missed the mark, so it’s no longer available."

Since AI became integrated with social platforms, it has frequently been misused—often to generate nude images of female celebrities. Platforms have tried to curb this trend, but the safeguards introduced have often proven inadequate. In the case of Meta's now-scrapped feature, the potential for abuse seemed clear from the start. Byers noted that the decision to remove it came "amid scrutiny from users and talent agencies, including CAA."