Twitch is training AI on livestreams, says it's an opt out feature as "nobody would opt in"

Twitch, a well-known streaming platform for both gaming and real-life content, has decided to start using generative AI models to analyze the live streams. This announcement has been met with significant backlash from the streaming community. The request to make this AI feature optional is by far the most popular demand on the Twitch user voice page.

The main concern is that the feature is set to default, forcing users to manually opt-out of AI training. To address these concerns, Twitch's chief product officer Mike Minton and head of community Mary Kish held a live Q&A session. When asked why the feature was set to opt-out, Minton offered a blunt response, stating that "they know we don't want it.

They don't care." He further explained that if it was opt-in, nobody would opt in. Minton acknowledged that this decision may not be popular and is upsetting to the community. He emphasized that this is unique as most content services are also on by default, and the only difference is the respect for users' wishes to opt out of model training.

This decision seems to be influenced by higher-ups at Amazon, a company that has been investing heavily in generative AI. Other parts of Amazon, like Amazon Game Studios, have also been exploring generative AI, though it had to be cancelled due to a mass layoff. The future of Twitch's generative AI remains uncertain. Whether they will continue with the current implementation or concede to community demands to make it opt-in is a question that will likely be influenced by market pressure from competitors.