Twitch now automatically opts all users into AI training on their streams
Twitch has confirmed it uses streamers' content to train its generative AI models, with all users automatically opted in by default. The decision has sparked widespread backlash, though an opt-out option exists.
Amazon-owned streaming platform Twitch has confirmed it is using creators' content to train its generative AI models, automatically enrolling all users in the feature rather than asking them to opt in.
Within hours of the announcement, nearly 14,000 people upvoted a post on Twitch's support forum demanding the setting be changed to opt-in rather than opt-out, arguing that creators should decide for themselves whether AI can be used on their channels. Thousands of comments followed, many expressing the same frustration in stronger terms.
How to opt out
Users can disable the feature even though it's on by default. On the web, this is done through account settings by clicking the avatar icon, going to Security and Privacy, and scrolling to "Training for Generative AI." On mobile, the same option is found under Profile > Settings > Security and Privacy. The setting only needs to be changed in one place, as it applies across both app and web.
Opting out only affects data used for generative AI model training, not other AI-powered features such as AutoMod or captioning, which use data that isn't retained for GenAI training purposes.
Why the feature isn't opt-in
Twitch's Chief Product Officer Mike Minton said during a Patch Notes stream that some AI features, such as transcribing audio for stream summaries, are essential to how the platform functions. He also acknowledged plainly that if the setting were opt-in, almost nobody would choose to enable it, which is why it defaults to on. He added that opting out has no effect on a channel's discoverability or reach.
Minton pointed out that other major platforms follow similar practices without offering any opt-out at all. Google uses YouTube content to train models like Gemini and Veo 3, while Meta trains its models on user posts and live streams from Facebook and Instagram.
