Adobe has announced an overhaul of its terms of service, explicitly stating that it will not use customer work to train its artificial intelligence models. This announcement was made through a blog post and will come into effect on June 18, aiming to clear up any misunderstandings about the use of user-generated content.
Last week, Adobe faced backlash after updating its terms of service, which led to fears among users that their content could be utilized for AI training. However, Adobe’s president of digital media, David Wadhwani, clarified in a blog post and in comments to The Verge that the company has never:
- Trained generative AI on customer content
- Taken ownership of user work
- Allowed access to customer content beyond what’s legally required
This clarification comes after customers misinterpreted the updated terms, believing Adobe had granted itself broader use of their creations.
Scott Belsky, Adobe’s chief product officer, acknowledged that the terms were not clear and that transparency is essential, especially in today’s context where trust is paramount. Wadhwani regretted the delay in updating the terms sooner, admitting that the terms should have been modernized to better reflect the company’s actual practices and to clarify legal obligations.
The revision is particularly significant given Adobe’s position in the creative industry, where it has been criticized for its subscription model and perceived monopolistic practices. Additionally, the company has faced ethical concerns with its Firefly AI model, which is trained on Adobe Stock images, licensed content, and public domain materials. Despite efforts to maintain ethical standards, artists have reported finding elements of their work on Adobe’s stock platform, raising questions about content moderation and data usage.
In response to these issues, Wadhwani stated that Adobe could remove any content from Firefly’s training data that violates its policies and that users could opt out of automated systems improving services. He assured that the company is committed to being a trustworthy partner for creators, emphasizing that earning and maintaining user trust is a priority for Adobe going forward.
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Featured Image courtesy of Thiago Prudêncio/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images