Twitch Facing Backlash as Amazon Uses its Content to Train AI

Twitch is currently facing scrutiny and backlash after it was discovered that the streaming platform has allowed users’ content to be used to train Amazon’s AI models.

This week, Twitch changed its settings to allow users to opt out of having their content used to train Amazon’s generative AI content models. This sparked immediate backlash as streamers and content creators were unaware their content was being used to train AI in the first place.

We’ve added a setting that lets you opt out of having your channel content used to train generative AI content models across Amazon.

Click here to learn more:https://t.co/C3G0Jt6m0D

— Twitch Support (@TwitchSupport) August 12, 2026

Twitch’s chief product officer Mike Minton later admitted the reasoning behind the opt-out process. Well, there’s an honest answer, and I think most of you probably can appreciate this – if it was opt-in, nobody would opt in.”

“That’s honestly the answer,” Minton continued to say during a live stream. “So it’s going to be on by default. Almost every content service in the world is on by default. I think the thing that we’re doing here that is unique and different is respecting your wishes to opt out of model training.”

As it currently stands, by default, Amazon can use all content streamed on Twitch to train its generative AI models. As Amazon owns Twitch and its services, Amazon can seemingly regulate what content it uses. Twitch’s FAQs have been updated to reflect the fact that if users do not opt out, their content may be used to train AI models.

Under the FAQ, Twitch states that Amazon’s generative AI models “help create or synthesize content outputs like text or images when given instructions or prompts because they are also trained on content.”

“An example of what happens when you allow your content to be used for training a GenAI content model is that your audio might help refine models that create speech to text, which would help improve captions at Twitch but would also help improve captions across Amazon.”

To opt out of allowing Amazon to use your content to train AI models, head to the Settings menu within your profile. Scroll all the way down until you reach ‘Training for Generative AI’. Here, you’ll be able to toggle this option off, ensuring that your content isn’t used to train generative AI models. That said, it is noted that turning this off doesn’t opt you out of Twitch and Amazon using your channel’s content for “AI-supported Twitch features.”