Online streamers sue Twitch, Amazon over generative AI training

Twitch streamer Warren Pandiscia filed a class action against Twitch and Amazon, claiming the companies used millions of creators' videos to train Amazon's generative AI without permission or compensation, breaching implied contracts and violating unfair competition law. Twitch only revealed the practice publicly on August 12, when it announced an opt-out setting and updated its terms of service — with channels automatically opted in unless users manually turn it off.

Twitch's own FAQ says Amazon may use streams, clips, chats, and audio to train models for generating text, audio, images or video, and that even opted-out users' content can be swept up if they interact with an opted-in channel. Pandiscia says he opted out the moment he learned the setting existed and would have done so sooner had Twitch disclosed it earlier, alleging the scraping dates back to at least 2024.

Twitch's chief product officer Mike Minton defended making the setting opt-out rather than opt-in by saying plainly that nobody would opt in otherwise — an admission that undercuts any claim of informed consent. Pandiscia is seeking injunctive relief, damages, restitution and disgorgement of profits on behalf of a proposed class.

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