SAG-AFTRA Urges Members to Safeguard Likeness From AI Tools

WHO:

Deadline - The Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) is urging its members to protect their likeness from AI tools.

The Guardian - Meta is the company behind the new AI image generator, Muse Image.

WHAT:

The Guardian - Meta's Muse Image AI tool allows users to generate images by tagging public Instagram profiles, and users are not notified when their posts are integrated into the AI model.

The Guardian - A Meta spokesperson stated that "private accounts and those belonging to users under 18 are automatically excluded and adult users with public accounts can opt out with easy-to-use controls."

The Guardian - Meta's press release for Muse Image includes examples of its capabilities, such as generating images for "the hottest women’s summer 2026 looks" and combining multiple images in a single prompt.

Deadline - SAG-AFTRA released a statement urging members to "take action to protect your likeness" from Meta's Muse Image tool.

The Guardian - A blogpost from Malwarebytes describes the opt-out setting as "its own adventure," highlighting the difficulty in finding the setting to disable data sharing.

The Guardian - Meta plans to expand Muse Image's use to Facebook and offer similar video capabilities to creators and Meta AI.

Deadline - SAG-AFTRA shared instructions for members to "dig into [Instagram's] settings" to opt-out of Meta's Muse Image tool.

The Guardian - Meta's Muse Image AI tool allows users to generate images by tagging public Instagram profiles, and users are not notified when their posts are integrated into the AI model.

The Guardian - A blogpost from the privacy-focused company Proton states that "data sharing is turned on by default, the opt-out is buried deep in settings."

The Guardian - Meta's press release for Muse Image mentions uses related to "the hottest women’s summer 2026 looks" and includes examples of combining multiple images in a single prompt.

Deadline - SAG-AFTRA released a statement providing instructions for members to opt-out of Meta's Muse Image tool.

The Guardian - Meta's Muse Image AI tool allows users to generate images using public Instagram profiles by default.

The Guardian - Users can tag public Instagram profiles to generate pictures that include faces from social media posts.

The Guardian - Meta claims Muse Image has been built with "strong controls and safety guardrails from day one."

The Guardian - Meta states that private accounts and users under 18 are automatically excluded from Muse Image.

WHERE:

The Guardian - Muse Image is available in the Meta AI app, Instagram Stories in the US, and WhatsApp in limited countries.

WHEN:

The Guardian - Muse Image was released on a Tuesday.

The Guardian - Meta's press release for Muse Image mentions uses related to "the hottest women’s summer 2026 looks."

WHY:

The Guardian - Privacy advocates argue that expecting users to proactively turn off this feature is unfair, stating that "finding the setting is its own adventure."

The Guardian - Privacy advocates argue that the default data sharing setting is unfair and that users should not have to proactively opt-out.

The Guardian - Privacy advocates argue that the default setting allowing data sharing is unfair and that users should not have to proactively opt-out.

The Guardian - Concerns have been raised about the potential misuse of images, especially those of children depicted in public accounts.

HOW:

The Guardian - Users can report objectionable AI-generated images by pressing and holding the image and selecting a "thumbs down" option.

The Guardian - Users can opt-out of having their photos used in Muse Image by toggling a button in the "sharing and reuse" section of settings.

The Guardian - Users can opt-out of having their photos used in Muse Image by adjusting settings in the "sharing and reuse" section of Instagram.

The Guardian - Users can report objectionable AI-generated images by pressing and holding the image and selecting a "thumbs down" option.

(UPDATED July 10, 2026 22:22 UTC)

Meta has launched its Muse Image AI tool, which allows users to create images by tagging public Instagram profiles without notifying those users when their posts are included in the AI model. A Meta spokesperson clarified that private accounts and users under 18 are automatically excluded, while adult users with public accounts can easily opt out. However, privacy advocates argue that relying on users to disable this feature is unfair, describing the process of finding the setting as an "adventure," and users can report any objectionable AI-generated images by pressing and holding the image to select a "thumbs down" option.

(UPDATED July 10, 2026 18:23 UTC)

SAG-AFTRA has released a statement urging its members to "take action to protect your likeness" from Meta's new Muse Image tool, which is designed to generate images, including those showcasing "the hottest women’s summer 2026 looks." Privacy advocates are raising concerns about the default data sharing settings, arguing that users should not have to actively opt-out to protect their information. Additionally, users can report any objectionable AI-generated images by pressing and holding the image and selecting a "thumbs down" option.

(UPDATED July 10, 2026 13:40 UTC)

SAG-AFTRA has issued instructions for its members to navigate Instagram's settings and opt-out of Meta's Muse Image tool, which allows users to generate images by tagging public profiles without notifying them when their posts are used. A blog post from Proton highlights that data sharing is enabled by default, and the opt-out option is difficult to find. Users can avoid having their photos utilized in Muse Image by toggling a button located in the "sharing and reuse" section of their settings.

(UPDATED July 10, 2026 11:55 UTC)

SAG-AFTRA is urging its members to protect their likeness from AI tools, specifically addressing concerns over Meta's new AI image generator, Muse Image, which allows users to create images using public Instagram profiles by default. The union has released a statement providing instructions for members to opt-out of this tool, while Meta claims that Muse Image has been built with strong controls and safety guardrails from the start, automatically excluding private accounts and users under 18. Privacy advocates argue that the default setting for data sharing is unfair, raising concerns about the potential misuse of images, particularly those of children, as users can adjust their settings to opt-out or report objectionable AI-generated images.