TL;DR:
- X updates privacy policy, collecting biometric data and users’ professional history.
- Significant policy change also includes leveraging publicly available data for AI model training.
- Alex Ivanovs of Stackdiary identifies the policy change; post trends on Hacker News.
- Section 2.1 highlights X’s intention to employ collected and public data for AI training.
- Speculation arises that X’s owner Elon Musk aims to supply data for xAI.
- Musk has previously expressed plans to use “public tweets” for xAI’s AI model training.
- Elon Musk’s response confirms utilization of “just public data” for AI advancements.
Main AI News:
In a strategic move that underscores its commitment to technological progress, X has unveiled significant updates to its privacy policy, aiming to leverage public data in the enhancement of its AI capabilities. The company’s recent privacy policy revision, spotlighted by Bloomberg earlier this week, unveils plans to collect biometric data, along with users’ professional and educational backgrounds. However, this expansion of data collection isn’t the sole focus of X’s endeavors. A noteworthy amendment in another section of the policy reveals the company’s intentions to harness both the data it gathers and publicly accessible information for the training of its machine learning and artificial intelligence models.
The observation of this subtle but consequential alteration was credited to Alex Ivanovs of Stackdiary, renowned for his astute observations regarding tech giants’ evolving terms of service. In a past instance, Ivanovs unearthed AI-related updates in the terms of service of companies such as Brave and Zoom. His latest discovery has been making waves on the esteemed Hacker News discussion forum on Y Combinator.
Section 2.1 of the X policy now reads as follows, encapsulating the essence of this development: “We may use the information we collect and publicly available information to help train our machine learning or artificial intelligence models for the purposes outlined in this policy.”
A salient insight into this transformation stems from the fact that X is led by none other than visionary entrepreneur Elon Musk, whose aspirations to enter the AI arena through his venture xAI are widely known. This leads to speculation that X might become a data source for xAI, and Musk’s recent appeal to journalists to explore X could potentially serve as an endeavor to generate intriguing and valuable data that could be harnessed by AI models.
Elon Musk has previously articulated that xAI would harness “public tweets” as a training ground for its AI models, making the alignment with X’s privacy policy update a logical progression. Notably, he has also pointed fingers at other tech titans, accusing them of leveraging Twitter for training their AI models and even considering legal action against Microsoft for alleged misuse of Twitter data. Furthermore, Musk has taken legal steps against unidentified entities for scraping Twitter data, which may have been an effort to bolster the training of expansive language models powering artificial intelligence systems.
A noteworthy aspect brought to light by Ivanovs is the text featured on the xAI homepage, which affirms its distinct corporate identity while highlighting its close collaborations with X (Twitter), Tesla, and other industry players, reflecting its mission-driven approach.
Elon Musk’s response further validates this strategic shift in X’s privacy policy, as he clarifies that the intention is to utilize “just public data, no DMs or anything private.” This transparency underscores X’s dedication to ethical data utilization and serves as a testament to its commitment to shaping a future driven by advanced AI solutions.
Conclusion:
X’s visionary approach to data utilization for AI innovation positions it at the forefront of ethical and strategic advancements. The strategic policy shift underscores Elon Musk’s broader aspirations within the AI market. The alignment with xAI’s objectives and Musk’s emphasis on responsible data practices will likely set a precedent for other industry players, catalyzing the adoption of transparent and value-driven AI advancements.
