Twitch lets Amazon use creator content for generative AI training by default, sparking streamer backlash
Twitch is facing backlash after announcing a new setting that allows creators to prevent their channel content from being used to train generative AI models across Amazon. The setting is enabled by default, meaning creators must manually opt out.
The move has drawn criticism from Twitch streamers, many of whom oppose the use of creator content for AI training without explicit consent. The concern is particularly strong on Twitch because creators can spend several hours a week livestreaming themselves, generating large amounts of audio and video content.
Twitch’s parent company Amazon stands to gain access to thousands of hours of stream recordings that could be valuable for training AI models. However, creators have questioned why participation is not based on an opt-in system.
During a livestream on Twitch’s official channel, Head of Community Mary Kish and Chief Product Officer Mike Minton addressed a largely unhappy audience of nearly 3,000 viewers. Much of the chat focused on demands for an opt-in approach, Tech Crunch reported.
Minton acknowledged the criticism and explained Twitch’s reasoning. “If this was opt-in, nobody would opt in. That’s honestly the answer,” he said.
The controversy was compounded by Twitch’s initial framing of the change. Rather than announcing that Amazon would use Twitch content for AI training, Twitch presented it as a new setting allowing users to opt out of having their channel content used to train generative AI content models across Amazon.
That approach also left some creators uncertain about whether their content had already been used for AI training. When a user asked Minton whether their videos had previously been used, he said he did not know what Amazon had used or not used for model training.
Kish said Twitch was responding to feedback from its community by providing an opt-out mechanism. She also pointed to Meta as another platform that uses public content from its services to train its AI models.
The option to disable AI training is available through Twitch’s channel settings. Users need to open the Security and Privacy section, scroll to “Training for Generative AI” and switch the setting off.
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First Published on August 13, 2026, 09:45:12 IST
