Anthropic, a leading artificial intelligence company, has announced that it will start training its AI models on user data, including chat transcripts and coding sessions, unless users choose to opt out. This change comes as part of the company’s efforts to improve the functionality and accuracy of its AI models by incorporating more diverse and real-time data. The company is also extending its data retention policy to five years, effective for users who do not opt out. All users are required to make a decision by September 28th, with those who accept the policy having their data used for model training and retained for up to five, according to a blog post published by Anthropic on Thursday.
The new policy applies to new or resumed chats and coding sessions, meaning that previously saved conversations or sessions will not be included unless they are resumed. This has raised concerns among users about privacy and data security, as their data will be retained for an extended period. While Anthropic has not disclosed the exact nature of the data it will use, it has emphasized that user data will not be used for purposes other than training AI models. The company has also stated that users can opt out of the policy at any time, although doing so may result in the loss of certain features or functionalities.
Industry experts have noted that this move could have significant implications for the AI development landscape, as it allows companies to leverage more comprehensive datasets to improve the performance of their models. However, the decision has sparked debates about the balance between innovation and user privacy. As companies continue to explore ways to enhance their AI capabilities through user data, the ethical and regulatory challenges surrounding data usage are likely to become increasingly prominent in public discourse.