Twitch now allows Amazon to use content from users of the streaming platform to train its AI models by default.
A new feature called “Training for Generative AI” allows content from users’ channels to be used to train Amazon’s generative AI models.
Although users can disable the feature, Twitch warns that doing so will not prevent the platform and Amazon from using their channel content “for other purposes described in the Twitch Privacy Notice.”
Users can opt out of having their content used for AI training through their account settings. To do so, they need to go to “Security and Privacy” and turn off the “Training for Generative AI” toggle.
The use of human-created content to train AI has repeatedly sparked backlash online, and many Twitch users were frustrated that the new setting was enabled by default.
A discussion on the Twitch forum showed how users of the platform reacted to the new setting.
“Make all AI features optional and disabled by default,” one user suggested.
At the time of publication, the proposal had received more than 15,000 votes.
“They know full well that we don’t want this, they’ve admitted it themselves, so they shouldn’t have added it in the first place,” another Twitch forum user wrote.
The change raised particular concerns among creators who share their original work on the platform.
“How many musicians and artists use Twitch? This is a direct slap in the face,” another user added.
Another participant in the discussion said the platform’s decision had completely killed their desire to stream.
“Great job, you’ve killed any desire I had to stream!” they wrote.
The backlash also spread to Reddit. One user advised people to check their settings regularly, fearing that similar features could be re-enabled after future updates.
“And you’ll probably need to check it regularly. Companies have a habit of pushing ‘updates’ that automatically opt everyone back in, knowing that people don’t check their settings regularly,” the Reddit user wrote.
Another user said they had trouble disabling the new setting.
“After a few more attempts at turning it off again and again, it finally seems to have stayed off,” they added.
Twitch Is Now Using Your Content To Train Amazon AI Models And Has Hidden The Option To Opt Out. "If it was opt in, nobody would opt in," admitted the streaming site's chief product officer during a livestream
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Twitch Chief Product Officer Mike Minton explained why the platform decided to enable the new setting automatically. According to him, the reason is quite simple.
“If this required users to opt in, nobody would opt in,” Minton said during a Twitch stream.
He also noted that this approach is common among other online platforms.
they know we don't want it. they do not care.
“Almost every content service in the world enables this by default,” Minton added.
At the same time, growing frustration with generative AI has already prompted some platforms to tackle another side of the problem, so-called AI slop, or large volumes of low-quality content created using artificial intelligence.
Yes. The “Training for Generative AI” feature is enabled by default for all channels. This means users are automatically opted in unless they manually disable it.
Go to your channel settings by clicking your profile picture, select “Settings,” and then “Security and Privacy.” Scroll down, find the “Training for Generative AI” toggle, and turn it off.
According to Twitch’s management, if users had to actively consent to having their content used for AI training, virtually no one would do so. That is why the feature was enabled by default, while users were given the option to opt out.
