Adobe Revises Terms of Service Amid User Concerns Over AI and Content Ownership
Adobe has announced plans to revise its terms of service in response to significant backlash from its user base. This update aims to clarify language around artificial intelligence (AI) usage and content ownership, according to a recent blog post by Scott Belsky, Adobe’s head of product, and Dana Rao, VP of legal and policy. The company assures users that their content remains theirs and will not be used to train generative AI tools.
The controversy began when Adobe users, particularly those using flagship products like Photoshop and Premiere Pro, expressed concerns over new terms that seemed to imply Adobe could utilize their creative works to train its AI models. This misunderstanding led to fears about potential misuse of intellectual property and even the possibility of Adobe claiming ownership over user-generated content.
In the blog post, Belsky acknowledges that the original language in the updated terms was not as clear as it could have been. He emphasizes Adobe’s commitment to transparency, especially in how user data is handled and how AI models are developed. “In a world where customers are anxious about how their data is used, and how generative AI models are trained, it is the responsibility of companies that host customer data and content to declare their policies not just publicly, but in their legally binding Terms of Use,” Belsky explained.
Adobe’s initial attempt to address the concerns with a minor update on June 6 did little to quell the unrest, as the changes did not substantially clarify the ambiguous language, nor did they include an apology, which only added to user frustrations.
Further complicating matters, there were reports of Adobe’s AI system, Firefly, being trained on Adobe Stock images, with instances of AI-generated art mimicking the styles of specific artists whose names appeared as search terms on Adobe’s stock site. This has raised additional concerns about the ethical implications of AI in creative fields.
In response to the feedback, Adobe has committed to rewriting the terms of service to be clearer and more understandable, using plain language and concrete examples to help users fully grasp what the terms entail and why they are necessary.
The company also reassured that users have the option to opt out of product improvement programs and that licenses will be more “narrowly tailored” to the activities required. Adobe stressed that it scans data only on the cloud and does not access locally stored content.
As Adobe moves forward with these changes, the company has opened channels for customer feedback to ensure that its community’s concerns are addressed and that trust is rebuilt.
