X, previously known as Twitter, has automatically enabled a setting that allows the company to use users' posts for training its Grok AI. This setting is activated by default. The good news is that users have the option to turn it off and delete their conversation history with the AI.
When this setting is enabled, the platform can utilise your posts, user interactions, inputs, and results with Grok for training and fine-tuning the AI. The platform’s settings page also indicates that “this means your interactions, inputs, and results may be shared with our service provider xAI for these purposes.”
Currently, users can not cannot disable this setting through X’s mobile app; it must be done via the desktop version of the social network.
To disable X's data-sharing settings:
- Go to the Settings page on X using your desktop.
- Click on “Privacy and safety.”
- Choose “Grok.”
- Uncheck the box.
Once the setting is disabled, users can also delete any conversation history with the AI by clicking the “Delete conversation history” button.
Earlier this week, X owner Elon Musk disclosed that xAI had started training its Grok large language model using “the most powerful AI training cluster in the world.” Musk predicted that the AI model would become “the world’s most powerful AI by every metric by December [2024].” It has now become clear that Musk and X intended to enhance their AI training not only with this advanced cluster but also by utilizing users' past tweets and posts.
X is not alone in using user data for AI training. Last month, Meta notified EU and U.K. users of an upcoming change that would allow it to use public content from Facebook and Instagram to train its AI. However, the company eventually suspended these plans due to regulatory pressure.