Meta is facing backlash over its new AI tool, Muse Image, which can generate images using other people's profile pictures without their consent.

It is one of many publicly available text-to-image tools that, as the name suggests, can create images from a few lines of simple text.

Muse Image is available through the Meta AI app and web browser, as well as on WhatsApp and in Instagram Stories for US users.

While Meta says users can opt out of their image being used even with a public account, Donald Campbell, advocacy director at tech justice non-profit Foxglove, told the BBC it was an "obvious recipe for disaster".

"We've already seen a catalogue of harms from non-consensual AI-altered images on social platforms just in the past year," he said.

"It is hard to see why Mark Zuckerberg thinks facilitating yet more of this creepy image manipulation is a good idea."

The feature is likely to face heightened scrutiny as regulators and campaigners raise concerns about AI-generated images, with Ofcom currently investigating X over Grok's role in creating and sharing non-consensual AI-altered images of real people.

Privacy International also criticised the feature, telling the BBC it was "the latest sign AI companies see people's images and data as raw material to be exploited".

"Pulling real users into generated photos without explicit consent is a privacy landmine waiting to detonate," one user wrote on X.

Meta said a dedicated setting, separate from account privacy controls, allows users to opt out even if they have a public account.

To do so, users must go to Instagram's settings menu, select "Sharing and Reuse" and switch off "Allow people to reuse your content on Instagram and with AI features at Meta" for posts and reels.

These settings only appear if you have a public account - if your account is private, it will already be unable to be shared.

Yet another image generator

There are many tools on the market now which can make images with AI from text, so Meta is already entering a crowded market.

But its use of Instagram is new - and powerful.

To try it out, I asked Muse AI to make it look like I was driving a car and it happily did so, with interesting results.

In a blog post covering the new announcement, Meta said the tool uses "advanced reasoning to understand complex prompts, seamlessly blending multiple photos into high-quality creations you can download and share anywhere".

The company said users can also choose from presets and suggested prompts to "spark ideas" and sketch edits directly onto images.

While the tool is free for "everyday creation", Meta said heavier users can access additional usage through one of its subscription plans.

The company added that Muse Image will soon be available on Facebook and Messenger, as well as through another tool that advertisers can use.

A video-generation version is reportedly in development.