Adobe Inc. has faced backlash from users over concerns that the company was using customer data to train its generative artificial intelligence (AI) services. However, Adobe’s Chief Product Officer, Scott Belsky, has stated that the company has never used customer data to train its AI services and that the company has a decade-old policy in place to analyze products to improve features, not for image generation.
The concerns stemmed from a screenshot of Adobe’s terms of service that was spread on social media in early January. The screenshot was described by some as the company using customer images or videos to train multimedia generation AI models without compensation. This sparked anxiety among artists who feared their work would be used without compensation.
Belsky stated that the critical reaction was a “wake-up call” for the company. “We have to be very explicit about these things,” he said. He also mentioned that the company is rolling out a new evolution of its policy that is more specific and that if the company ever allows people to opt-in for generative AI specifically, it will call it out and explain how it’s using it.
Adobe is known for its creative software such as Photoshop and Illustrator, and the company hopes to differentiate its generative tools by integrating them into existing creative software. At an October user conference, Adobe highlighted many new AI-powered tools. For media created with AI hosted on Adobe’s stock photo platform, the company requires images to be labeled and abide by restrictions such as a ban on identifiable people.
In conclusion, Adobe has denied using customer data to train its AI services, and the company has a decade-old policy in place that analyzes products to improve features, not for image generation. The company has acknowledged the critical reaction as a wake-up call and is now rolling out a more specific policy to be more explicit about the usage of generative AI. Adobe hopes to differentiate its generative tools by integrating them into existing creative software.
