Twitch allows opting out of AI training
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Twitch added an opt-out toggle for Amazon AI training, defaulting users to opt in. The setting lets streamers stop their content from training generative AI models.
Background
Twitch, owned by Amazon, has been using streamers' content to train Amazon's generative AI models for years, as confirmed by a company executive in 2024. The new setting, announced on August 12, 2026, allows users to opt out, but it is enabled by default, meaning users must actively disable it to prevent their content from being used. This has sparked backlash from users who question why the default is opt-in rather than opt-out.
How it unfolded
- 2024Twitch's chief monetization officer Mike Minton confirmed at an event that Amazon uses Twitch content for AI training, saying 'Yeah, for sure.'
- Aug 12, 2026Twitch announced a new setting allowing users to opt out of Amazon's generative AI training. The setting is enabled by default, and users can find it under Settings > Security and Privacy > 'Training for Generative AI'.
- Aug 12, 2026Content creator Zach Bussey posted a screenshot of the new setting, which quickly went viral, drawing attention to the feature and sparking backlash.
- Aug 13, 2026Twitch's chief product officer Mike Minton said in a livestream that the default is opt-in because 'If it's opt-in, nobody would opt-in. That's the honest answer.'
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Twitch says the opt-out respects users' wishes and that AI-supported features like captions and safety tools will still work.
- Public
- Users are angry that the setting is on by default, with some questioning why Twitch allowed AI training in the first place.
- Expert
- Ars Technica notes that Twitch content has trained Amazon AI for years, and the opt-out only affects future training, not past data.
Still unverified
Whether the setting was on by default for all users before this announcement is not confirmed; Twitch has not clarified if it was previously hidden or newly added.