Meta pulled a headline feature from its new AI image generator, Muse Image, after user backlash. The feature allowed users to create AI-generated images by @-mentioning public Instagram accounts, using photographs from those profiles without the account owner's knowledge, and was enabled by default unless users opted out. Artists, creators, and privacy advocates questioned whether public content should be fair game for generative AI. By Friday, Meta admitted the feature "missed the mark" and removed it. The episode highlights that the AI race now focuses on persuading people to consent to data use. Meta argued the feature only worked with public accounts and users could opt out. The article notes that Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft, and xAI also rely on user interactions to improve their AI systems, but users are becoming more selective about sharing data. Meta's retreat is significant because Muse Image was meant to showcase its access to billions of photographs from Instagram and Facebook.