Amazon faces a class action lawsuit for allegedly using Twitch livestreams to train AI models without user permission or compensation. Millions of streamers are represented in the suit, which claims breach of contract and commercial exploitation of their content.
This lawsuit highlights growing concerns among content creators about the use of their work for AI training without consent or compensation, potentially impacting the business models of major tech platforms and the rights of users.
Amazon is facing a class action lawsuit for allegedly using content from its streaming platform Twitch to train artificial intelligence models. The suit, brought on behalf of millions of streamers, claims that Amazon and Twitch used their videos for AI training without obtaining proper permission or providing compensation, constituting a breach of contract and commercial exploitation.
Connecticut-based streamer Warren Pandiscia filed the lawsuit, asserting that streamers should not have their work used to develop AI without consent. The legal action seeks damages for affected streamers and an injunction to halt the alleged practice. It remains unclear when Amazon began collecting Twitch user data for AI model training.
Twitch's chief product officer, Mike Minton, had previously expressed uncertainty about whether user data had been scraped for training prior to the implementation of an opt-out feature. Twitch's own AI training FAQs indicated that audio might be used to refine speech-to-text models, improving automatic subtitles on both Twitch and Amazon videos. Users can disable this feature in their Streamer Dashboard settings, though the opt-out reportedly applies only to individual streams.
Amazon, which acquired Twitch in 2014 for nearly $1 billion, has been intensifying its focus on AI as it competes with major tech rivals like Google and Meta.