Microsoft was alleged to train AI models with user data from Office. An opt-out which was assumed to be novel caused a stir that spread this claim. But Microsoft itself is adamant: “We do not use customer data to train LLMs.”
The company’s response was offered in a direct reply through the Microsoft 365 account on X. Earlier, the Microsoft AI Team had already explained exactly what its AI plans are regarding user data. Data from Copilot, Bing, and MSN will be used for AI training. This is to provide the training data with “greater breadth and diversity”, the explanation goes. As it happens, there is an opt-out in these applications, so those who don’t want to share anything with Microsoft can also indicate that.
The setting in question actually revolves around “connected experiences,” or extending functionality within Office. This setting has been around for quite some time. Examples include sharing OneDrive files or translating a Word document. In effect, the data is intended to be shared with an external capability, not Microsoft itself, and was never going to be used for AI training. Said connected experiences may also involve a transmission from a Microsoft app to a third party, such as sending text to a Kindle.
For IT teams, this is still a setting to consider since data can easily be sent to an external service. However, the ‘connected experiences’ can be turned off via File > Account > Account Privacy > Manage Settings.
If data is used
Microsoft has offered an opt-out for Copilot, Bing, and MSN since October and only started collecting this data for AI training 15 days later. According to the company, those who do share data with Microsoft will never be identified with it. In addition, the data will remain within Microsoft’s digital walls, and data from minors will not be used for AI training.
Still, Microsoft recently had to deal with an abundance of corporate data being shared with its AI services. A new blueprint for Copilot should prevent organizations from unknowingly sharing too much information from now on.
Read also: Too much data shared with Copilot, Microsoft pulls the brake