It’s Sora all over again.
Meta, led by CEO and AI enthusiast Mark Zuckerberg, this week rolled out the first photo and video tools to come out of its Superintelligence Labs: Muse Photo and Muse Video.
The tool brings Meta in line with the state of the art in AI media creation, alongside Google’s Gemini and Seedance 2.0, but along with the tools, Meta also said that all public Instagram profiles will be opt-out, not opt-in, and other users can pull in those other accounts that don’t opt out and create new content using their profiles.
For celebrities and other high-profile figures, that could be a major problem, even if most do end up opting out. Now Creative Artists Agency is calling out Meta for the move, and asking the tech giant to make it opt-in, not opt-out.
“No one’s name, image, likeness, voice, or creative work should be used by any third party, including AI models, without clear, documented consent. True innovation puts creators first: respecting their rights, protecting their livelihoods, and giving them real control, not handing it over to platforms,” CAA said in a statement Wednesday evening. “We have raised our concerns with Meta on behalf of our clients, voicing our disapproval and perspective on the need for a more responsible approach. We call on Meta to make protection the default on Muse Image, not the exception, and enable individuals to opt-in if they want to allow usage of their image or likeness for AI content creation.
“Artists deserve to decide if and how their likeness and work is used, with consent and the ability to set their own terms,” the statement continues. “This means letting creators impose restrictions, monitor usage, and prevent unauthorized endorsements or exploitation. Responsible AI requires clear disclosures and swift removal of unauthorized content. There must be easy ways to spot, track, and take down misuse, and it should be clear when something is AI-generated. CAA believes in the power of new technology, but not at the cost of individuals’ rights or livelihoods. The future of creativity depends on respecting the ownership and autonomy of those who make it possible.”
CAA, of course, is well aware of the opportunities and threats posed by generative AI to its clients. The agency maintains what it calls the “CAA Vault,” where the digital likenesses of its clients reside for potential future monetization and protection, and the agency was the first test user of YouTube’s deepfake detection tool, which rolled out to all of Hollywood earlier this year.
The Muse situation is reminiscent of the botches launch of OpenAI’s Sora, which was overrun with well-known IP and the likenesses of many high-profile figures, forcing the AI giant to pivot to an opt-in model, before it scrapped the video model altogether earlier this year.
After Sora launched, WME said that it was opting out on behalf of all of its clients, the first domino to fall in that model’s short life.
“There is a strong need for real protections for artists and creatives as they encounter AI models using their intellectual property, as well as their name, image and likeness,” WME’s digital chief Chris Jacquemin wrote in a memo at the time. “Our position is that artists should have a choice in how they show up in the world and how their likeness is used and we have notified OpenAI that all WME clients be opted out of the latest Sora AI update, regardless of whether IP rights holders have opted out IP our clients are associated with.”
With many celebrities, artists, creators and other high-profile figures on Instagram, an opt-out model may not be good enough, especially when their likeness is their livelihood.
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