Microsoft Denies Training AI on Customer Data Following Uproar

Microsoft Corp. rejected claims that it uses customer data from Microsoft 365 consumer and commercial applications, such as Word and Excel, to train large language models, after user worries spread on social media.

Allegations emerged a few days ago after some users noticed they were automatically opted into Microsoft 365’s Connected Experiences, a 2019 setting that allows product features to be connected to the internet and the cloud.

The claims spread quickly among Microsoft users over what they perceived as a “sneaky” update to the provider’s terms of use, which they said could allow the company to scrape Microsoft Office ...