Meta has launched the first ever advanced AI image generation tool for Instagram and WhatsApp, bringing it in line with rivals like Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
The generative AI feature Muse Image, built by Meta Superintelligence Labs, will be integrated into the tech giant’s Meta AI chatbot, allowing users of the apps to edit and create images using prompts and sketches.
Instagram and WhatsApp each have more than 3 billion users globally, though Muse Image will only be available in select countries at first.
“Muse Image acts as the creative partner that knows your world, making it easy to turn your ideas into high-quality visuals that you can download and share anywhere, including directly to your feed, story, or chat,” the company said in a blog post.
“Whether you’re starting from scratch or working with an existing photo, you can describe what you want in simple, conversational language, and Meta AI handles the rest thanks to Muse Image.”
The new feature is being introduced to Instagram and WhatsApp users in “limited countries”, with a broader roll out expected in the coming weeks.
Meta is also planning to launch it for its other apps, including Facebook and Messenger.
“It powers the social experiences we do best,” a Meta spokesperson told The Independent. “People come to our apps to connect and share – Muse Image gives them new, creative ways to do exactly that.”
Muse Image powers more than 30 new AI-powered effects on Instagram Stories, and image generation in direct chats with Meta AI on WhatsApp.
Meta also shared a preview of its AI video generation tool Muse Video, which is expected to roll out soon.
Meta said the new feature was bringing the tech giant “one step closer to personal superintelligence”, which has been the stated goal of CEO Mark Zuckerberg since announcing in 2024 that his company was pursuing artificial general intelligence (AGI).
In June 2025, the tech boss officially launched Meta Superintelligence Labs and has since spent billions of dollars to acquire the top AI talent from rivals like Anthropic, Google DeepMind and OpenAI.
“Personal superintelligence that knows us deeply, understands our goals, and can help us achieve them will be by far the most useful,” he wrote in a July 2025 blog post.
“Personal devices like glasses that understand our context because they can see what we see, hear what we hear, and interact with us throughout the day will become our primary computing devices.”
