Adobe is updating its terms of service after backlash to recent changes

Following customer outrage Regarding its latest terms of service (ToS), Adobe is making updates to add more details in areas such as AI and content ownership, the company said in a blog post. “Your content is yours and will never be used to train any generative AI tool,” wrote head of product Scott Belsky and vice president of legal and policy Dana Rao.

Subscribers using products like Photoshop, Premiere Pro, and Lightroom were outraged by new, vague language that they interpreted to mean Adobe could freely use their work to train the company’s generative AI models. In other words, the creators thought that Adobe could use AI to effectively steal their work and then resell it.

Other language was thought to mean that the company could actually take ownership of users’ copyrighted material (understandably, when you see).

None of this was accurate, Adobe said, noting that the new terms of use were implemented for its product improvement and content moderation program for legal reasons, particularly around CSAM. However, many users didn’t see it that way and Belsky admitted that the company “could have been clearer” with the updated ToS.

“In a world where customers are concerned 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. Use it,” Belsky said.

To that end, the company promised to revise the ToS using “simpler language and examples to help customers understand what [ToS clauses] mean and why we have them,” he wrote.

Adobe didn’t help its own cause by releasing a update June 6 with some minor changes to the same vague language as the original ToS and no sign of apology. This only seemed to fuel the fire further, with subscribers to the Creative Cloud service threatening to give up in large scale.

Additionally, Adobe claims that it trains its Firefly system only on images from Adobe Stock. However, several artists have noticed that their names are used as search terms on Adobe’s stock footage website, such as Creative block reported. The results produce AI-generated art that occasionally mimics the artists’ styles.

Your last post is more true my fault with a detailed explanation of what you plan to change. Along with the areas of AI and copyright, the company emphasized that users can opt out of its product improvement programs and that it will “tailor” licenses more narrowly to required activities. He added that he only checks data in the cloud and never analyzes content stored locally. Finally, Adobe said it will listen to customer feedback on the new changes.