Editing Generative artificial intelligence

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<!-- ADMIN COMMENT: This article is fine as a collection of consumer-facing GenAI issues and incidents, however we need to avoid straying into territory relating to workers rights, the ethics of web-scraping for training data, or other similar concerns. This wiki is to be strictly focussed on consumer affairs! If a company changes the terms of a contract to force users into letting their private data be used for AI training, that is relevant. If a company has laid off 500 workers to replace them with a chatbot, the treatment of those workers is not relevant to this wiki (although consumer-facing issues caused by the use of the chatbot might be!).-->

{{Main|Artificial intelligence}}

'''Generative AI''', also referred to as GenAI or simply "AI" in colloquial English, is a program or service with the purpose of "generating" pieces of media (text, code, videos, images, et cetera) with a text prompt as an input (e.g. "How long do I heat popcorn for in the microwave?" or "bowl of buttery popcorn, realistic, artstation, pretty") utilizing a captioned dataset, and various/random outputs relating to the prompt. GenAI, over its short existence and rising prevalence in online communities, has garnered large amounts of concern across the various fields it has been applied to. <!-- I used to help operate a Kialo discussion covering Generative AI, that discussion may be beneficial for reference as a way to further flesh this page out. Just please take note that most claims are a few years old and may not be accurate, so please fact-check any statements from there before mentioning anything anti-consumer here

https://www.kialo.com/is-ai-art-theft-60905 -->

==General controversies surrounding Generative AI==
{| class="wikitable"
|+General controversies surroundng GenAI
!Controversy
!Brief Description
!Related Article(s)/Section(s)
|-
|Training data collected without consent
|Various platforms have scraped data ranging within the petabytes concerning content created by users and potentially owned by companies, without first obtaining an adequate license to use this data. This has gone so far as to not even request consent or even notifying users in advance that their content was used to train AI-powered tools.
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|Replacing skilled workers with AI
|Due to its generalized nature, jobs across fields from digital art to writing and programming have had experienced staff replaced by lesser-paid (and often lesser-experienced) employees who would be tasked to use generative tools to do their work. This usage can lead to problems with product quality for consumers, such as representatives replaced with chatbots, or products being sold by companies use poorly-generated content that may harm the consumer.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Grady |first=Constance |date=29 Apr 2024 |title=The AI grift that can literally poison you |url=https://www.vox.com/24141648/ai-ebook-grift-mushroom-foraging-mycological-society |url-status=live |access-date=31 Mar 2025 |website=Vox}}</ref><!-- Reference included more to represent what is intended -->
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|}

==Major media platforms with controversies relating to Generative AI==
{| class="wikitable"
|+Major media platforms with controversies relating to GenAI
!Platform
!Controversy<!-- The table is ordered by severity when it comes to the infringement of consumer rights, because I felt like racketeering from Microsoft didn't deserve to be buried under proprietary scraping allegations. -->
!Specifics
!Related Article(s)/Section(s)
|-
|'''GitHub'''
|Scraping all users' public code repositories without prior notice nor consent for a large language model ('''GitHub CoPilot'''), then locking the ability to opt-out behind a subscription service
|Labeled on the FAQ for GitHub CoPilot,<ref>{{Cite web |last=CoPilot |title=FAQ |url=https://copilot.github.trust.page/faq?s=v2qe7voltpwtv2usl4ikhs#ip-and-open-source |access-date=Mar 30, 2025 |website=github}}</ref> users who pay for either a ''Pro'' or ''Enterprise'' tier plan do not have their repositories (''repos'') scanned for the purposes of training CoPilot. There are theories that private repos may not be used for training purposes,{{Citation needed}} but these have not been verified{{CitationNeeded}}. 
|[[GitHub]]
|-
|'''DeviantArt'''
|Training on all user-published content without prior notice nor consent for a proprietary image-generation model ('''DreamUp''')<!-- Considering the over 2 year long history that continues to have new drama stir from this, we should look into eventually making a dedicated article focused on DreamUp -->
|While more speculative, it is reasonable for users to assume<ref>{{Cite web |title=What I think about DeviantArt's AI Choices |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/AI_Generator_Guide/comments/167sbit/what_i_think_about_deviantarts_ai_choices/ |url-status=live |access-date=31 Mar 2025 |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref> that when [[DeviantArt]] initially automatically opted all users into allowing their work to be training data for generative AI,<ref>{{Cite web |date=11 Nov 2022 |title=deviantart's AI art program (and how to opt out) |url=https://www.deviantart.com/izzy-paw/journal/deviantart-s-AI-art-program-and-how-to-opt-out-936581886 |url-status=live |access-date=31 Mar 2025 |website=Deviant Art}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Erdine |first=Önder |date=16 Nov 2022 |title=DeviantArt DreamUp is the latest contender for the AI art crown |url=https://en.digitalreport.com.tr/deviantart-dreamup-how-to-use-ai-opt-out/ |url-status=live |access-date=31 Mar 2025 |website=Digital Report}}</ref> that all content uploaded to DeviantArt was used as training data for their DreamUp tool. However, according to statements from DeviantArt CEO Moti Levy,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Robertston |first=Adi |date=15 Nov 2022 |title=How DeviantArt is navigating the AI art minefield |url=https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/15/23449036/deviantart-ai-art-dreamup-training-data-controversy |url-status=live |access-date=31 Mar 2025 |website=The Verge}}</ref> DeviantArt did not plan or intend to train their tool based on user-generated works, and that any user-generated works that were used in their model were introduced by StabilityAI. Regardless, the introduction of DreamUp to the art sharing platform has stirred controversy on the platform<ref>{{Cite web |last=Edwards |first=Benj |date=11 Nov 2022 |title=DeviantArt upsets artists with its new AI art generator, DreamUp [Updated] |url=https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/11/deviantart-upsets-artists-with-its-new-ai-art-generator-dreamup/ |url-status=live |access-date=31 Mar 2025 |website=www.arstechnica.com}}</ref> and fractured it into two distinct groups;<ref>{{Cite web |last=Duchess Celestia |date=13 Nov 2022 |title=DeviantART Just Betrayed Its Whole Community. (DreamUp AI Controversy) {{!}}{{!}} SPEEDPAINT + COMMENTARY |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGj_3OhMrAU |url-status=live |access-date=31 Mar 2025 |website=[[YouTube]]}}</ref> those for generative AI (typically those who hold newer accounts) and those against the usage of such algorithms on an art forum (typically users who have existed on the platform for far longer.) Since the introduction of DreamUp, the platform has been cluttered with AI generated images, and staff have historically, frequently, and intentionally featured multiple users who exclusively upload GenAI content<ref>{{Cite web |date=22 Jul 2024 |title=DeviantArt Seller: StygianAI |url=https://www.deviantart.com/team/art/DeviantArt-Seller-StygianAI-1077776294 |access-date=31 Mar 2025 |website=Deviant Art}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=9 Oct 2024 |title=Create on DeviantArt: VeilAI |url=https://www.deviantart.com/team/art/Create-on-DeviantArt-VeilAI-1108146133 |url-status=live |access-date=31 Mar 2025 |website=Deviant Art}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=15 Jul 2024 |title=DeviantArt Seller: ExeFelix |url=https://www.deviantart.com/team/art/DeviantArt-Seller-ExeFelix-1075192370 |url-status=live |access-date=31 Mar 2025 |website=Deviant Art}}</ref> or post content that uses generative content as a base.<ref>{{Cite web |date=9 Oct 2024 |title=Create on DeviantArt: AKoukis |url=https://www.deviantart.com/team/art/Create-on-DeviantArt-AKoukis-1108151629 |url-status=live |access-date=31 Mar 2025 |website=Deviant Art}}</ref> The majority of featured creators on the site are ones who nearly or exclusively upload AI generated content.<!-- I was scrolling through their gallery and most featured artist posts were about AI creators, I stopped my search when I reached posts that released before the generative AI controversies on the platform occurred, which had a rough stopping point of around Q4 2022.
https://www.deviantart.com/team/gallery --><!-- Due to my close familiarity with the situation, yes, I developed this section a lot more than initially planned. -->
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|-
|'''Twitter/X'''
|Training on all active users' data without prior notice nor explicit consent for a proprietary large language and image generation model ('''Grok'''); leaking over 370,000 private chats with Grok over Google search results without prior notice nor user consent
|Sometime in mid 2024, [[X Corp]]'s platform of the same moniker quietly changed its Terms of Service to allow all user-generated content submitted through it to be used to "Train artificial intelligence models, whether generative or another type", specifically with a permanent license for said content granted to the corporation and without any form of monetary compensation.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2026-01-05 |title=X Terms of Service |url=https://x.com/en/tos#:~:text=You%20agree%20that%20this%20license%20includes%20the%20right%20for%20us%20to%20%28i%29%20analyze%20text%20and%20other%20information%20you%20provide%20and%20to%20otherwise%20provide%2C%20promote%2C%20and%20improve%20the%20Services%2C%20including%2C%20for%20example%2C%20for%20use%20with%20and%20training%20of%20our%20machine%20learning%20and%20artificial%20intelligence%20models%2C%20whether%20generative%20or%20another%20type%3B%20and%20%28ii%29%20to%20make%20Content%20submitted%20to%20or%20through%20the%20Services%20available%20to%20other%20companies%2C%20organizations%20or%20individuals%2C%20including%2C%20for%20example%2C%20for%20improving%20the%20Services%20and%20the%20syndication%2C%20broadcast%2C%20distribution%2C%20repost%2C%20promotion%20or%20publication%20of%20such%20Content%20on%20other%20media%20and%20services%2C%20subject%20to%20our%20terms%20and%20conditions%20for%20such%20Content%20use%2E%20Such%20additional%20uses%20by%20us%2C%20or%20other%20companies%2C%20organizations%20or%20individuals%2C%20is%20made%20with%20no%20compensation%20paid%20to%20you%20with%20respect%20to%20the%20Content%20that%20you%20submit%2C%20post%2C%20transmit%20or%20otherwise%20make%20available%20through%20the%20Services%20as%20the%20use%20of%20the%20Services%20by%20you%20is%20hereby%20agreed%20as%20being%20sufficient%20compensation%20for%20the%20Content%20and%20grant%20of%20rights%20herein%2E |access-date=2026-01-05 |website=X}}</ref> Though there remains an option to opt-out in the platform's privacy settings, users were opted-in by default.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cohen |first=Jason |date=2025-08-08 |title=Your Posts On X Are Being Used To Train Grok AI. Here's How To Stop It |url=https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/your-tweets-x-posts-train-elon-musk-grok-ai-how-to-stop-it-opt-out |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251103053227/https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/your-tweets-x-posts-train-elon-musk-grok-ai-how-to-stop-it-opt-out |archive-date=2025-11-03 |access-date=2026-01-05 |website=PC Magazine}}</ref> The following is speculative, as X Corp and sister corporation xAI have been almost entirely silent about the specifics of their methodology, but it's reasonable to assume that all users' available Content (as defined in the platform's Terms of Service)<ref name=":0" /> was scraped and introduced to xAI (and possibly other third-parties') datasets when the change was established. In addition, users' private conversations with the chatbot, which are shared through saved links, were/are accessible to search engines like Google and showed up for the first time in publicly accessible search results in August 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Martin |first=Iain |date=2025-08-20 |title=Elon Musk’s xAI Published Hundreds Of Thousands Of Grok Chatbot Conversations |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/iainmartin/2025/08/20/elon-musks-xai-published-hundreds-of-thousands-of-grok-chatbot-conversations/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250820105050/https://www.forbes.com/sites/iainmartin/2025/08/20/elon-musks-xai-published-hundreds-of-thousands-of-grok-chatbot-conversations/ |archive-date=2025-08-20 |access-date=2026-01-05 |website=Forbes}}</ref>
|[[X Corp]]
|-
|'''Stack Overflow'''
|Training on all active users' content without prior notice nor explicit consent for a large language model service ('''Overflow AI''')
|In late July of 2023, Overflow AI was made available by Stack Overflow, a Q&A forum for programmers. The information used to train the LLMs provided by the service was taken from questions and answers left by the StackOverflow community.<ref>{{Cite news |last=StackOverflow |date=Jul 27, 2023 |title=Announcing OverflowAI |url=https://stackoverflow.blog/2023/07/27/announcing-overflowai/ |access-date=Mar 30, 2025 |work=StackOverflow blog}}</ref> This action subverts one of the website's existing policies, wherein its users are disallowed from AI generating responses to answer forum posts.<ref>{{Cite web |last=StackOverflow |title=Generative AI Policy |url=https://stackoverflow.com/help/gen-ai-policy |access-date=Mar 30, 2025 |website=StackOverflow help center}}</ref> The only way users have the capability to opt-out currently is to manually delete all posts and topics before deleting their account. The effectiveness of this method is questionable, however, considering that StackOverflow's "Get Out" clause<ref>{{Cite web |last=StackOverflow |title=How do I delete all my contributions? |url=https://stackoverflow.com/help/delete-content |access-date=Mar 30, 2025 |website=StackOverflow help center}}</ref> may allow the service to retrieve content that was previously deleted.
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|'''Reddit'''
|Training on all users' content without prior notice nor explicit consent for a large language model ('''Reddit Answers''')
|In late 2024, [[Reddit]] announced the release of 'Reddit Answers,' a large language model (LLM) that was publicly stated<ref>{{Cite web |title=Reddit Answers (Currently in Beta) |url=https://support.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/32026729424916-Reddit-Answers-Currently-in-Beta |url-status=live |access-date=31 Mar 2025 |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref> to use content created by users to train the tool, without requiring prior consent or prior public notice. Reddit's Terms of Service explicitly allows the platform to scrape user-generated content for the purpose of training "AI and machine learning models",<ref>{{Cite web |first= |date=May 29, 2025 |title=User Agreement |url=https://redditinc.com/policies/user-agreement |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260101023854/https://redditinc.com/policies/user-agreement |archive-date=2026-01-01 |access-date=2026-01-05 |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref> though this is likely limited to Reddit's proprietary dataset; it has legally discouraged third-party services from scraping the platform as per the Reddit Public Content Policy.<ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=Public Content Policy |url=https://support.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/26410290525844-Public-Content-Policy |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251230012504/https://support.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/26410290525844-Public-Content-Policy |archive-date=30 Dec 2025 |access-date=2025-01-05 |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref>
|[[Reddit]]
|}

==Other controversies involving generative AI==

===LAION-5b training database===
Many users have had their content scraped by LAION to power their training database. Currently, there is no way to opt-out or request a removal of one's content from it or any successor database, as the service which previously allowed individuals to request the removal of their data is defunct.<ref>[https://haveibeentrained.com/ Have I Been Trained?] </ref>

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Common terms]]
[[Category:Artificial intelligence]]