Amazon to Automatically Utilize Twitch Streamers’ Content for Training, with an Opt-Out Option Available
Twitch has announced that it will utilize content created by its users to aid in the training of generative AI models for Amazon, its parent company. This decision has elicited immediate and strong criticism from the Twitch community, particularly because users are defaulted into having their content used for this purpose unless they choose to opt out.
The stream recordings collected by Amazon are seen as highly valuable, providing extensive audio and video material essential for AI training. However, creators on Twitch have expressed concerns that they may unknowingly allow their content to contribute to Amazon’s AI models since opting out requires a manual action. This issue is particularly pressing given that many Twitch creators spend significant time livestreaming their activities and conversations.
In a recent livestream on Twitch’s official channel, Mary Kish, Head of Community, and Mike Minton, Chief Product Officer, addressed a live audience of around 3,000 viewers, many of whom expressed their discontent regarding the new policy.
Minton acknowledged the community’s frustration, particularly regarding the default opt-in policy. He stated, “Why is it not opt-in? That’s what everybody is spamming in chat. I get it. ‘Let me opt in versus making me opt out.’” He further admitted, “If this was opt-in, nobody would opt in. That’s honestly the answer.”
Twitch is aware that many of its streamers oppose generative AI, especially considering previous controversies surrounding AI training on unconsented materials sourced from the internet.
The company’s way of announcing this change suggests that they anticipated resistance. Rather than directly informing users that Amazon would start using their content for AI training, Twitch presented it as giving creators the option to “opt out” of having their channel content utilized for such purposes.
This led to confusion among some streamers who questioned if their content had already been used to train AI models. In response to one such inquiry, Minton stated, “I don’t actually know the answer to that question because I don’t know what Amazon […] has done in terms of model training and what they’ve used and not used.”
Kish pointed out that Twitch is not alone in this approach. Other companies, like Meta, also use public content from their platforms for AI training. For users in the U.K., there are options to opt out, but elsewhere, privacy settings may not allow creators to fully protect their data.
Kish emphasized that offering an opt-out feature on Twitch reflects an effort to listen to its community’s concerns about AI training. “We want to give you that option,” she said.
To opt out of AI content training on Twitch, users should go to their channel settings (not the creator dashboard), select the security and privacy tab, scroll to the “training for generative AI” option, and toggle it off.
