Social network X (formerly Twitter) recently activated a setting that gives it permission to train Grok AI on user tweets.All X users are opted in by default, with X failing to notify customers about the change.The hidden setting gives X permission to use all posts, interactions, inputs, and results for "training and fine-turning" Elon Musk's Grok AI model.
While X turned the setting on for all users by default, it can be turned off on the website.Here's how: Open up X using a web browser on a Mac or PC and log in.Click on More.
Choose Settings and privacy.Click on Privacy and safety.Click on Grok.
Uncheck the setting that allows Grok to use your content.This privacy setting is not available through the X app, so it must be disabled using the desktop version of X, though an option to turn it off on mobile devices is supposedly coming soon.Turning on a data collection feature surreptitiously and automatically opting in users without their consent is underhanded, and many X users are not happy with the social network's decision.
Sometime in the last month, X updated its Help Center to change the wording around Grok.It previously said that "user interactions, inputs, and results" would be used for Grok training, but now the wording also includes X posts.June 27 wording: Today's wording: Grok has previously been able to access "real-time public X posts" to respond to user queries, but it is not clear if X posts were being used for training.
The opt-out toggle seems to have been enabled around May, so it's possible that's when user posts were first used for improving the chatbot.X says that user interactions with the chatbot and X posts are used for the following: Enhance Grok's understanding of human language and communication.Improve Grok's ability to provide accurate, relevant, and engaging responses.
Develop Grok's sense of humor and wit to make interactions more enjoyable.Ensure Grok remains politically unbiased and provides balanced answers.Elon Musk claimed earlier this week that Grok was being trained on "the most powerful AI training cluster in the world." Grok is currently available to X premium subscribers.