Twitch users can now block Amazon from using their content to train AI

What the report says

Twitch has begun giving users a way to stop Amazon from using their streams, clips, images, chats and other channel material to train generative AI systems, according to BBC World News. The change applies to a default setting that previously allowed the data use unless creators opted out. Twitch is owned by Amazon, which acquired the livestreaming platform in 2014.

BBC World News reported that the announcement on Wednesday triggered backlash from users, many of whom objected to their creative work being used for AI development. Twitch executives said on a platform stream that the company is following an industry norm by collecting training data by default, while also allowing users to switch it off in their channel settings. They also said the material would not be resold to other companies.

The development matters because it sits at the centre of a wider dispute over how tech firms gather online content to train AI models. Amazon has invested heavily in AI and competes with other major technology companies in the sector. In the BBC World News report, Twitch said it was unclear when Amazon started using platform data for training, and it did not confirm whether any user content had already been used.