Twitch users are angry after learning the streaming platform lets Amazon use their content to train AI models. The setting is turned on by default, meaning creators must actively switch it off if they don't want their streams used this way.
Amazon owns Twitch. The company confirmed the AI training feature on Wednesday, and the announcement quickly drew criticism from streamers and viewers.
Many users asked why the setting was allowed to exist without their permission in the first place. Twitch's chief product officer, Mike Minton, addressed the backlash directly during a livestream.
Minton said the company was "respecting" users by giving them a way to opt out. When asked why the setting wasn't opt-in from the start, he gave a blunt answer: "If it's opt-in, nobody would opt-in. That's the honest answer."
What Is Amazon Using the Content For?
Generative AI refers to systems that create new content like text, images, or video. Well known examples include chatbots such as ChatGPT and Gemini.
Twitch said streamer audio could be used to improve speech to text models. That work would help make automatic subtitles more accurate on both Twitch and Amazon video products.
Some users raised concerns about video games shown during streams. Since so many streamers play games on camera, critics questioned what this could mean for game developers whose titles appear on screen.
One streamer wrote online that having the feature on by default was "criminal." The comment summed up much of the anger seen across social media following the announcement.
The BBC has contacted both Twitch and Amazon for further comment.
How to Opt Out
Twitch also shared instructions for turning off the feature. Mary Kish, the platform's head of community, walked viewers through the process during the same livestream.
Users need to open the Settings tab in their Streamer Dashboard. From there, they should click Security and Privacy, scroll down, and toggle off the option labeled "training for Generative AI."
Turning this off stops Amazon from using streams, clips, chat messages, and other channel content for AI training. But not everyone found the fix reliable.
Some users said the setting switched itself back on after they had already turned it off. One person wrote that they toggled it off, left the page, came back, and found it active again.
Kish acknowledged the decision would not sit well with everyone. "We don't expect you to be happy or excited about this," she said during the stream.
The livestream's chat filled with hundreds of critical comments as it aired. One viewer said no one would willingly feed their creative work into an AI system.
It remains unclear exactly when Amazon began collecting Twitch data for AI training. Minton said he did not know what data had already been used or how it had been applied.
Amazon bought Twitch for close to one billion dollars in 2014. The company has continued investing heavily in AI as it competes with rivals like Google and Meta.
