Twitter/X is feeding your data to Grok AI by default – here's how you can opt out

Elon Musk's X has encountered significant backlash after it was revealed that the platform has been using public user data to train its AI chatbot, Grok, by default. This practice was hidden within the platform's privacy settings, causing outrage among users who were unaware their posts and interactions were being used for AI training without their consent.

X confirmed through a brief tweet that users have control over whether their public posts can be used to train Grok, but did not provide details on when the data collection started or when the opt-out option was introduced. The platform's privacy policy has included this data usage clause since at least September 2023, and users can disable this setting through the 'Data sharing and personalization' section on the website.

Regulators, including the UK's Information Commissioner's Office and Ireland's Data Protection Commission, are scrutinizing X's data practices. Under GDPR regulations, companies cannot assume user consent through pre-selected default settings, making X's approach particularly controversial. This issue underscores broader concerns around the data practices of AI systems like Grok, which require vast amounts of data to function effectively.