Zoom’s Updated Terms of Service: What You Need to Know
Introduction
Zoom, the popular video platform, has recently updated its terms of service. While the changes include sections on software licensing, beta services, and compliance, there is an important update related to Zoom’s artificial intelligence (AI) strategy.
Zoom’s Use of Customer Data
According to the updated terms, Zoom now has the right to utilize certain aspects of customer data for training and tuning its AI and machine learning models. This includes customer information on product usage, telemetry and diagnostic data, and similar content collected by the company. It is worth noting that there is no opt-out option provided.
Zoom’s AI Ambitions
While the use of customer data for training AI models is not uncommon, these updated terms indicate that Zoom is taking a measured step towards its own AI ambitions.
Debate on AI Training with User Data
There has been a growing public debate regarding the extent to which AI services should be trained using individuals’ data, regardless of how aggregated or anonymized it may be. Other AI tools and platforms have faced lawsuits from authors and artists who claim that their work has been replicated without their consent.
Zoom’s Stance on User Consent
Zoom’s terms state that users consent to the company’s access, use, and storage of service-generated data for various purposes, including machine learning and AI training. However, in a blog post, Zoom clarified that they do not use audio, video, or chat content for training their models without customer consent.
Generative AI Features and Consent
In June, Zoom introduced new generative AI features on a free trial basis. Customers have the choice to enable these features and sign a consent form allowing Zoom to train its AI models using their individual customer content. Zoom assures that customer content is solely used to improve the performance and accuracy of these AI services.
Customer Control and Product Improvement
Zoom emphasizes that customers have control over enabling generative AI features and sharing customer content for product improvement purposes. The decision lies with the individual users.