Twitch, the livestreaming platform owned by Amazon, has confirmed that Amazon uses users' streams, clips, images, chats and other channel content to train generative AI models — and has given users a way to switch that use off, according to a BBC report by Osmond Chia. The disclosure on Wednesday prompted widespread backlash from the platform's community, many of whom criticised the default opt-in arrangement.
How the opt-out works
Twitch said users can opt out of a default setting that allows Amazon to use streams, clips, images, chats and other channel content for AI training, the BBC reported. The announcement confirmed that Amazon, which took over Twitch in 2014, was using the platform's content for AI training. Twitch is "respecting" users' wishes to opt out if they prefer, the platform's chief product officer, Mike Minton, said during a stream on the platform.
During the same session, Mary Kish, head of community at Twitch, walked viewers through a tutorial on how to disable generative AI training through a user's channel settings. Data collection for AI training has become an industry standard, Kish said. "We don't expect you to be happy or excited about this. I don't expect anyone to react to this favourably," she added.
"Nobody would opt in"
Asked why the data is collected by default, Minton said: "If it's opt-in, nobody would opt-in. That's the honest answer."
Users who remain opted in could have any of their channel content used for training, Minton said, adding that the data collected will not be re-sold to other companies.
| Speaker | Role at Twitch | Key statement |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Minton | Chief product officer | "If it's opt-in, nobody would opt-in. That's the honest answer." |
| Mary Kish | Head of community | "We don't expect you to be happy or excited about this. I don't expect anyone to react to this favourably." |
| Anonymous user | Viewer | "Nobody would opt in because nobody wants to feed AI with our creativity and content." |
Backlash in the chat
The stream's chat column was flooded with hundreds of comments from users criticising the move, the BBC reported. One viewer wrote: "Nobody would opt in because nobody wants to feed AI with our creativity and content." Another said Twitch had an "opportunity to set an industry standard" to push back against data collection for AI.
It is not clear when Amazon began collecting Twitch users' data to train its AI models. Minton said during the stream that he did not know if users' data had already been scraped for training, and that he was unsure what Amazon "has done in terms of model training and what they've used and not used."
Amazon's AI ambitions
Amazon runs a host of AI services and has heavily invested in its development as it seeks to compete with Google, Meta and other technology giants, according to the BBC. The BBC has contacted Amazon for comment and Twitch for more information.
For enterprise technology decision-makers, the episode highlights the data practices of a major technology company: users who stay opted in may have any of their channel content used for AI training, while Amazon has said the data will not be re-sold to other companies. Twitch, for its part, said it is "respecting" users' opt-out preferences, and Minton said he did not know whether users' data had already been scraped for model training.
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