Twitch has changed its account settings after a wave of creator backlash over Amazon’s use of livestream content to train AI models. Streamers can now disable an option that allows their content to help train Amazon’s generative AI systems, though the change does not erase every other use covered by Twitch’s Privacy Notice.
The update reassured some creators, but it also raised a basic question: when did Twitch begin using their content for AI training? Twitch content has been used to train Amazon’s AI models for years, yet users only now have a clear way to opt out.
How the new opt-out works
Streamers can find the setting by clicking their account avatar, selecting Settings, and opening the Security and Privacy section. From there, they can disable the Generative AI Training option.
That switch has a narrower effect than some users may expect. Turning it off prevents the content from being used for Amazon’s AI training under that setting, but it does not stop Twitch and Amazon from using the content for other purposes described in Twitch’s Privacy Notice.
The distinction matters because Twitch’s Terms of Service, in effect since March 2024, already gave Twitch and its sublicensees broad rights over user content. Those rights include using, reproducing, modifying, adapting, distributing, and creating derivative works from the material. The terms did not explicitly say that user content could be used to train generative AI models.
That gap between broad content rights and specific AI language helped fuel the reaction from creators. More than 16,000 creators expressed opposition to having their content used by default to train Amazon’s AI systems.
Why the default setting caused anger
The backlash followed a livestream in which Mary Kish, Twitch’s head of community, explained the policy changes. Kish told users, “We don’t expect you to be happy or excited about this.” Her comment captured the tension around a system that placed the AI training option in the enabled position unless creators changed it themselves.
Mike Minton, Twitch’s head of product and chief monetization officer, defended that choice. He said the setting needed to remain enabled by default because an opt-in system would receive no participation. “If it’s opt-in, nobody would opt-in. That’s the honest answer,” Minton said.
Minton also argued that creators should expect publicly available material to enter AI training systems. “Almost any publicly available content is being used for model training in one form or another, whether permitted or not.”
That argument points to a wider industry practice, but it does not settle the question of consent. Companies like OpenAI, Meta, and Google have used user-generated content to train AI models. For Twitch creators, the issue is more personal because livestreams can include years of original broadcasts, conversations, reactions, and creative work produced for a specific platform.
Amazon’s long connection to Twitch
Amazon owns Twitch after buying the streaming platform in 2014 for nearly $1 billion (£740 million). Amazon also develops AI models, making Twitch content a direct source of material for the company’s AI work.
Minton said at an event in 2024 that Amazon uses Twitch to train AI models and that Amazon’s use of Twitch content was happening. The new setting arrived two years after that company executive confirmed the practice, giving creators a formal choice only after the issue had already drawn attention.
The timing also explains why the update did not end the controversy. Creators received a way to refuse AI training, but the option came after Amazon had already used Twitch content for years. The policy also leaves other permitted uses in place, so disabling the setting does not give users complete control over how their content moves through Twitch and Amazon’s systems.
For Twitch streamers, the immediate task is simple: open the account settings and check the Generative AI Training option. The larger debate is about whether platforms should ask for permission before using creator material to train AI, rather than treating that use as the default.
The update gives creators a choice, but it also makes the platform’s position clear. Amazon’s AI systems can use Twitch content for training unless users take action to stop that specific use.
Based on
- Amazon Can Use Your Twitch Content to Train Its AI—Unless You Opt Out — wired.com
- Twitch content has trained Amazon AI for years, but users can opt out now – Ars Technica — arstechnica.com
- Twitch faces backlash over Amazon using content to train AI — bbc.com
- Twitch faces fury as it confirms Amazon is training AI on its livestreams | Business Insider Africa — africa.businessinsider.com
- ‘Slap to the face’: Twitch creators respond to platform policy on Gen AI content — nbcnews.com
