US — Meta released the Muse Image artificial intelligence (AI) model on Tuesday, July 7, 2026. The system is the first AI image generation tool created by Meta's Superintelligence Labs division, which is headed by Alexandr Wang.

Muse Image powers image-making tools within the Meta AI application, Instagram, and WhatsApp. It is scheduled to become available on Facebook and Messenger. Consumers can access the model for free via the Meta AI app, its website, WhatsApp direct messages, and Instagram Stories.

The model allows users to mention other Instagram accounts in their prompts, enabling the AI to incorporate that user's likeness into the generated output. Meta stated that "tagging a username lets Meta AI use public photos to build a visual." Users retain control over how their content is reused for AI purposes.

Muse Image enables users to transform images using suggested prompts and create designs for invitations and postcards. It can redesign rooms based on an image sourced from Facebook Marketplace or the web, and allows direct photo modifications by drawing on them. Edited photos can be shared to feeds, stories, or chats.

The model will power 30 new AI effects for Instagram Stories in the United States, with a rollout to other countries and additional areas of Meta's apps planned for later. Muse Image will also power advertiser-specific image-generation tools as part of Meta's Advantage Plus service. In a blog post, Meta stated that "Muse Image brings native reasoning to the creative process to adjust elements, swap styles, and create variations based on the advertiser's creative, resulting in high-quality, on-brand ad variations with fewer iterations." Advertisers and agencies are expected to see image variants powered by Muse Image in the coming weeks.

Wang stated on Threads that Muse Image is "agentic" and works with the Muse Spark large language model "to reason through your prompt, search the web, and plan before it generates." The Muse family of AI models replaces Meta's Llama lineup for image generation tasks. Meta previously utilized third-party AI models for image and video generation features but plans to use Muse Image to reduce reliance on these technologies.

Power users and creators will need to sign up for a monthly subscription plan to create a large volume of AI-generated images and access certain features. Users who reach their free limit can purchase a Meta One subscription or wait for the limit to reset. Meta plans to launch a Muse Video model, which Wang stated would be competitive "on prompt adherence, visual fidelity, temporal consistency." Internal benchmark tests conducted by Meta show Muse Image trailing OpenAI's GPT Image 2 model.