Amazon will now use Twitch streamers’ content to train its generative AI models unless a user manually disables the feature.
This default setting has triggered immediate anger from the creator community. Streamers worry they are surrendering hours of live footage and audio to Amazon without consent. The concern is acute because many creators record themselves speaking for long periods every week. Under the new rules, their data is used for AI training unless they take specific steps to stop it.
The announcement
Twitch Head of Community Mary Kish and Chief Product Officer Mike Minton took to an official stream to address nearly 3,000 viewers. The chat was filled with messages opposing the move.
“Why is it not opt-in? That’s what everybody is spamming in chat,” Minton said. “I get it. ‘Let me opt in versus making me opt out.’ Well, there’s an honest answer… If this was opt-in, nobody would opt in. That’s honestly the answer.”
The company acknowledged that most of its audience dislikes how generative AI is typically built. Current AI products often scrape books, images, and videos from the internet without permission. Twitch knew this opposition would lead to friction.
The way the news was delivered suggests the company expected a reaction. Rather than stating Amazon would start training on Twitch data, Twitch announced it was adding a setting to let users opt out of having their channel content used to train generative AI content models across Amazon.
This framing caused confusion. Some streamers were unsure if their videos had already been fed to Amazon without their knowledge. When a user asked if their content had been used, Minton replied: “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.”
Context and alternatives
Kish pointed out that Twitch is not the only platform doing this. Meta uses public content from its platforms to train its own AI models. If a Facebook or Instagram account is public, that data has likely already been used for Meta’s AI training. People in the U.K. can opt out of Meta’s training. For others, the only way to stop it is to use private settings, which is not a viable option for creators who need to monetise their accounts.
Kish said the opt-out option on Twitch is a response to the community’s voice. She noted that people do not want to train Gen AI models and that the company wanted to give them that choice.
To disable AI training, users must go to their channel settings, not the creator dashboard. They need to select the security and privacy tab, scroll down to the option “training for generative AI,” and toggle it off.
What it means
Creators must now manually protect their data. The change shifts the burden of action entirely onto the user. If a streamer does not check their privacy settings, their content becomes fuel for Amazon’s AI. There is no guarantee that content has not already been used before the setting is changed.
