The company's privacy policy does not clearly explain its overall plans for AI model training. Despite stating that customers who opt out of data training will still benefit from its "globally trained AI/ML models", it is unclear why the company is using customer data for features like emoji recommendations. The company has stated that it does not use customer data to train Slack AI, a separately purchased add-on. In response to the backlash, a Slack engineer acknowledged the need to update the privacy policy to clarify how it interacts with Slack AI.
Key takeaways:
- Slack users are upset over the company's use of their data to train its new AI services, and the fact that users have to email the company to opt out of this data usage.
- The terms of this data usage are hidden in a confusing, possibly outdated privacy policy that has not been clearly communicated to users.
- There is confusion and concern over a new product called "Slack AI" and how it relates to the company's privacy principles, as well as the use of "global models" and "AI models".
- Despite the controversy, Slack maintains that it does not use customer data to train Slack AI, and that any customer data used in other ways is strictly controlled and not shared with any third-party providers.