() – OpenAI claimed that creating ChatGPT would have been impossible without the use of copyrighted works. LinkedIn is using user resumes to hone its AI model. And Snapchat says that if you use a certain AI feature, it could put your face in an ad.
These days, people’s social media posts – not just what they write, even their pictures – are increasingly being used by companies for their AI systems, whether they realize it or not.
For companies that execute artificial intelligence modelsSocial media platforms offer valuable data. What’s written there is conversational, something AI chatbots constantly strive to be. Social media posts include human jargon that could be useful for tools to use on their own. And news stories are generally a source of real-time events.
But the users who post on those sites may not be so thrilled that their every random musing or vacation photo or regrettable selfie is being freely used to build technology (and, by extension, make money) for a multi-billion dollar corporation.
“There’s a lot of fear mongering going on around AI right now, some of it well-founded and some of it based on science fiction, so it’s incumbent on these platforms to be very open about how they will and won’t use our data to help alleviate some of the backlash that comes with this kind of news, which to me doesn’t seem to have been done yet,” David Ogiste, the founder of marketing agency Nobody’s Cafe who regularly posts about branding and creativity on LinkedIn, told . He added that he would opt out of allowing LinkedIn to use his data for AI training.
Different social platforms vary in terms of the options they offer users to opt out of contributing to AI systems. But here’s the reality: If you’re posting content online, there’s no way to be absolutely sure that your images won’t be hijacked by third parties to use in any way they like.
At the very least, it’s worth being aware that this is happening. Here’s where some of the major social media platforms may be using your data to train and run AI models, and how (and if) you can opt out.
LinkedIn this week began to give to users the option to opt out of using your data to train their generative AI models.
The company says user content can be used by LinkedIn and its “affiliates,” potentially including Microsoft partner OpenAI. It says it aims to “redact or remove personal data” from training datasets.
To opt out, users should go to “Settings and Privacy,” select the “Data privacy” in the left column and then click on “Data for generative AI improvement” and disable the button.
The platform notes, however, that “opting out means that LinkedIn and its affiliates will not use your personal data or content on LinkedIn to train models in the future, but it does not affect training that has already taken place.” That means there is no going back and undoing the training of LinkedIn’s previous AI systems with user posts.
If you live in the UK, Switzerland or Europe, where privacy protections are stronger than other jurisdictions, you may not see the opt-out option, as LinkedIn says it does not train AI on data from users in those areas.
Elon Musk’s X also requires users to opt out if they don’t want their posts used to train his AI chatbot, Grok, which has come under fire for things like spreading false information about the 2024 election and generating Violent and graphic fake images of prominent politicians.
The platform says it and Musk’s xAI startup use people’s posts, as well as their conversations with Grok, to do things like improve their “ability to provide accurate, relevant, and engaging responses” and develop their “sense of humor and wit.” (X did not proactively notify users that their data would be used in this way; the policy update was spotted by eagle-eyed users.)
X users can opt out by going to “Settings” and then “Privacy and Security.” Under the “Data Sharing and Personalization” heading, there’s a tab for “Grok,” where users can uncheck the box that allows the platform to use their data for AI training. X also says that users who make their accounts private won’t have their posts used to “train Grok’s underlying model or to generate responses to user queries.”
Snapchat’s “My Selfie” feature allows users and their friends to turn their selfies into AI-generated images.
Those selfies can also be used by Snap (as well as brands that advertise on the platform) to create AI-generated ads featuring users’ faces if they use the feature, the social media site first reported this week. Technology News 404 Media.
In their terms of serviceSnapchat says that users’ selfies shared through the feature will be used “to develop and improve machine learning models… and for research purposes.” It also says that by using the feature, users agree that they may see themselves depicted in ads “that will only be visible to you” without compensation.
But users also agree to allow much broader access to those images. According to the terms of service, “By using My Selfie, you grant Snap, our affiliates, other users of the Services, and our business partners an unrestricted, worldwide, royalty-free, irrevocable, perpetual right and license to use, create derivative works from, promote, display, transmit, syndicate, reproduce, distribute, synchronize, overlay graphics, audio overlay effects, publicly perform, and publicly display all or any portion of the generated images of you and your likeness derived from your My Selfie, in any form and in any and all media or distribution methods, now known or later developed, for commercial and non-commercial purposes.”
My Selfie is a feature that Snapchat users have to opt into, so users won’t have all images they share with the platform used in this way by default. Additionally, users who have My Selfie turned on can go to “Settings,” then “My Account,” then “My Selfie,” and turn off “Seeing My Selfie in Ads” to prevent their image from being used to create AI-generated sponsored content.
Reddit says that all users who share content publicly on the site grant it a worldwide, royalty-free license “to use, copy, modify, adapt, prepare derivative works of, distribute, store, perform, and display your content and any name, username, voice, or likeness provided in connection with your content across all media formats.” That includes allowing third parties to access users’ posts for the purpose of artificial intelligence training.
Reddit has struck major deals with Google and OpenAI to share platform data to train its AI models, such as part of their effort for being profitable.
Redditors can’t opt out of having their public posts used in this way, but the platform says private content — such as private messages, posts in private communities, and browsing history — won’t be shared with third parties.
The leaders of Meta They have recognized that the company has already used public (but not private) Facebook and Instagram posts to train its AI chatbot.
In its privacy policy, Meta says that You can train your systems AI with users’ public Facebook and Instagram content, including posts, comments, audio, and profile photos. So if you want to opt out, you have to make your account private. Meta also says that private messages between family and friends are not used to train its AI.
Still, even if you don’t use any of Meta’s services, the company notes that it may use your information, such as a photo of you posted by a friend, to improve its technology.
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