Twitch adds a setting to stop your content from training Amazon AI

In short: Twitch now lets streamers opt out of having their channel content used to train Amazon’s generative AI models.

What happened

Twitch users can now choose a new setting that stops Amazon from using their Twitch content for future training of “generative AI” systems. Generative AI is the kind of AI that can create new text, images, audio, or video (like a tool that learns from examples and then makes something similar).

According to Twitch’s support information, opting out covers a wide range of content. That includes your live streams, saved recordings (VODs, which are past broadcasts), clips, stream chats, and the pictures and text on your channel.

The setting is called “Training for Generative AI.” It appears in Twitch settings under the Security and Privacy tab. The Verge reporter who spotted it said the toggle was turned on when they found it, and they asked Amazon whether that is the default.

Twitch says other “AI-supported” features will still work even if you opt out. Examples include captions and safety tools. Twitch also notes an important detail about chat, if you type in someone else’s stream chat, that streamer’s opt-out choice controls whether that chat can be used for training.

Why it matters

Many streamers see their videos and chats as their work, and they may not want it used to teach AI systems without a clear choice. This new toggle is like a “do not use for practice” sign, but only for training generative AI, and not for other uses described in Twitch’s privacy notice.

Source: The Verge AI