Amazon Is Using Twitch Content for AI Training: Here's How You Can Opt Out

Twitch has confirmed that its parent company, Amazon, uses the platform's content for AI training, and users will need to opt out of the program if they don't like it.

It's unclear when Amazon began using Twitch users' content for AI training; it acquired Twitch in 2014. The setting is enabled by default for all streamers. To opt out, go to Settings> Security and Privacyand disable the toggle next to Training for Generative AI.

Once you disable the option, "your streams, VODs, clips, stream chats, and pictures and text on your channel will not be used in future training of a model developed by Amazon whose purpose is to generate or synthesize text, audio, images, or video," Twitch says on a support page .

Even after opting out, a couple of AI-powered features will rely on your data. One is automated Captions, and the other is AutoMod, a feature that uses machine learning to review inappropriate chats before they go live. For both these features, Twitch says it won't retain your data or use it to generate new content.

There's one more catch. If you're on someone else's stream, their preferences dictate whether the chat is used for AI training or not.

Social media reactions to the announcement suggest that some users are only now finding out that their data was being used for AI training. Since May 31, Twitch's UserVoice feedback platform has seen users upvote a suggestion to make AI features opt-in rather than opt-out. As of writing, more than 15,000 users have voted in favor of it.

Explaining the decision in a stream soon after the announcement, Twitch's chief product officer Mike Minton said : "If it was opt in, nobody would opt in. That's honestly the answer."

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