Microsoft Denies Using Office 365 Data for AI Training Amid Privacy Concerns
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Microsoft responds to claims all Word and Excel files are being used to train AI
TL;DR: Microsoft's Connected Experiences feature in Office apps like Word and Excel allegedly collects data for AI training, according to nixCraft. However, Microsoft denies using customer data for training AI models like Copilot. Users can disable this feature via Privacy Settings. Microsoft
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Microsoft says it's not using your Word, Excel data for AI training
Microsoft has denied claims that it uses Microsoft 365 apps (including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) to collect data to train the company's artificial intelligence (AI) models. "Microsoft does not use customer data from Microsoft 365 consumer and commercial applications to train large language
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Microsoft Denies Training AI Models on User Data From Word, Excel
People are not comfortable with their data being used to train AI Microsoft on Wednesday denied claims that it uses customer data from its Microsoft 365 applications, including Word and Excel, to train artificial intelligence models. The response came after some users pointed out on social media
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Microsoft: We Don't Use Your Word, Excel Data for AI Training
Microsoft says it doesn't use your Word and Excel data to train its AI models. As ReadWrite reports, the company's Connected Experiences, which analyzes a user's Office content to provide suggestions, recently came under fire for being enabled by default. Several users suspected Microsoft was
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Microsoft denies Office docs used to train AI models
Confusion over Connected Experiences settings in 365 apps spark concerns Microsoft's Connected Experiences option in its productivity suite has been causing consternation amid accusations that the default setting might allow Microsoft to train AI models using customers' Word and Excel documents
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Microsoft denies training AI models on user data
(Reuters) - Microsoft on Wednesday denied claims that it uses customer data from its Microsoft 365 applications, including Word and Excel, to train artificial intelligence models. The response came after some users pointed out on social media that the company requires users to opt-out of its
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Microsoft Is Denying That Office 365 Trains Its AI
Microsoft says that "connected experiences" have nothing to do with training LLMs. Following concerns that erupted on social media and its own support forums over the past few weeks, Microsoft wants to set the record straight: the company does not use Microsoft 365 (formerly Microsoft Office) apps
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Microsoft Says It Doesn't Use Your Office Docs to Train Its AI
Microsoft has officially refuted the claim saying that "we do not use customer data to train LLMs." The trend of default opt-in for using user data to train AI models is increasingly rising. Recently, it was revealed that Meta used Instagram photos to train its AI. Similarly, X started using user
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Microsoft hits back at claims AI data scraping was sneakily turned on in Word, Excel
Publicly available information is considered open for training Microsoft's use of so-called 'Connected Experiences' has come under scrutiny following claims it collected user-generated content to train its AI models. The latest claims stem from an X post by @nixCraft, who accuses Microsoft of
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Is Microsoft Using Your Word Documents to Train AI?
People are increasingly worried about how AI affects them. Will our jobs become obsolete? Are we constantly being tracked online and in the real world? Most recently, people have raised concerns about whether our creative and professional work is being used to train large language models. Over the
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Microsoft accused of using online Word and Excel content for AI training, unless you opt-out
TL;DR: Microsoft Office's "Connected Experiences" feature, enabled by default, has been criticized for potentially using user content to train AI without clear disclosure. Microsoft denies using customer data for AI training, stating the feature is for internet-required functions like document
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No, Microsoft isn't using your Office docs to train its AI
Microsoft says it isn't using customer data from its Microsoft 365 apps to train its AI models. The clarification addresses reports circulating online in the last few weeks claiming Microsoft required Word and Excel users to opt out of training the company's AI systems. The confusion arose from a
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Microsoft Office AI training report is a misunderstanding
A tweet claiming that Microsoft Office uses the content of customer documents to train its AI systems raised a lot of eyebrows, but the tech giant says that it's a simple misunderstanding. A Linux account with hundreds of thousands of followers tweeted the claim ... NixCraft tweeted: Heads up:
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Microsoft is using Word and Excel user data for AI training by default, and opting out isn't easy
A hot potato: The controversial issue of companies training their AI models on user-generated content is once again under the spotlight. This time, the programs in question are the widely used Microsoft Office and Excel. The data gathering is enabled by default, and opting out is a laborious,
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Microsoft Word and Excel AI data scraping slyly switched to opt-in by default -- the opt-out toggle is not that easy to find
Opting out requires a lengthy excursion through Microsoft's Trust Center. It is not a secret that Microsoft's Office has Connected Experiences which analyze content created by users. However, according to @nixCraft, an author of Cyberciti.biz. Microsoft's Connected Experiences feature
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After Office Software Outage, Microsoft Faces Allegations of Data Scraping in Word and Excel
According to a report on tech news site Tom's Hardware, Microsoft's Office system -- the subscription-based online software suite that contains many tools aimed at digital workers, and used by over a billion people worldwide -- has a new "Connected Experiences" feature that, as part of its normal
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Microsoft responds to claims that it uses customer data from Microsoft 365 apps like Word and Excel to train AI models, sparking a debate about data privacy and AI development.
Microsoft Refutes Claims of Using Office 365 Data for AI Training
Microsoft has firmly denied allegations that it uses customer data from Microsoft 365 applications, including Word and Excel, to train its artificial intelligence (AI) models. The controversy erupted following claims on social media that the company's "Connected Experiences" feature was being used to collect data for AI training without explicit user consent
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.The Connected Experiences Feature
The "Connected Experiences" feature, enabled by default in Microsoft 365 apps since April 2019, has been the focal point of this debate. Microsoft clarifies that this feature is designed to support internet-required functions such as co-authoring, real-time grammar suggestions, and access to web-based resources
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.Microsoft's Response
A Microsoft spokesperson stated unequivocally, "Microsoft does not use customer data from Microsoft 365 consumer and commercial applications to train large language models"
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. The company emphasizes that the Connected Experiences setting has no connection to how Microsoft trains its large language models or AI tools like Copilot2
.User Control and Privacy Settings
Microsoft asserts that users have control over their data and can adjust Connected Experiences settings at any time. The company provides instructions for disabling the feature through the Privacy Settings in Office applications
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. For enterprise users, administrators have additional policy settings to manage privacy controls across their organizations2
.AI Features in Microsoft 365
While denying the use of customer data for training large language models, Microsoft acknowledges its long-standing use of AI in Microsoft 365. Features like Designer in PowerPoint and Editor in Word utilize simpler machine learning algorithms to enhance productivity and creativity, rather than relying on generative AI or large language models
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.Related Stories
Public Concerns and Transparency
The controversy highlights ongoing public concerns about data privacy and AI training practices. Users remain wary of their data being used without explicit permission, especially in light of recent incidents involving other tech companies
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.Microsoft's Privacy Statement and Future Implications
Despite Microsoft's denials, its privacy statement (as of November 2024) does permit the use of collected data to "develop and train our AI models"
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. This apparent contradiction underscores the need for greater clarity and transparency in how tech companies handle user data in the age of AI development.As AI technology continues to evolve, the incident serves as a reminder of the delicate balance between innovation and user privacy, prompting ongoing discussions about data usage policies and user consent in the tech industry.
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