Twitch to use streamers' content for Amazon AI training by default, unless they opt out
Twitch has introduced a new setting letting creators opt out of having their streams used to train Amazon's generative AI models, but by default everyone is automatically enrolled. The move has sparked strong backlash from the Twitch community.
Streaming platform Twitch will now allow parent company Amazon to use creators' video and audio content to train generative AI models. The change has triggered swift, widespread anger among Twitch users, since streamers are automatically enrolled by default and must actively opt out if they don't want their content used.
For Amazon, this content is highly valuable — Twitch creators generate thousands of hours of audio and video each week, often including hours of their own recorded voices. Many users fear that without actively opting out, their content could be used for AI training without their knowledge.
Live backlash
During a stream on Twitch's official channel, Head of Community Mary Kish and Chief Product Officer Mike Minton addressed the change in front of nearly 3,000 viewers, many of whom flooded the chat with anti-AI comments. Asked why the setting wasn't opt-in instead of opt-out, Minton gave a blunt answer: if it were opt-in, virtually nobody would choose to participate.
Twitch's announcement of the change was also notably cautious — rather than stating that Amazon would begin training on user content, the company framed it as simply adding an option to opt out. This wording caused confusion, with some streamers unsure whether their content had already been used. Minton admitted he did not know what Amazon had already done with the data.
Not an isolated case
Kish pointed out that Twitch isn't alone in this practice — Meta also uses public content from Facebook and Instagram to train its AI models. Users in the U.K. can opt out, but elsewhere the only alternative is making an account private, which isn't practical for creators who monetize their content.
To opt out on Twitch, users need to go to their channel settings, open the security and privacy tab, and turn off the option labeled "training for generative AI."
