Many creative professionals rely on Adobe products to create high-quality work. Adobe recently announced that it is using this work to train its algorithms, unless the user specifically opts out. This means that any artwork created with Adobe products may be used to train software that helps Adobe better recognize and process content.
The Krita Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports digital artists and developers, recently noticed that Adobe had automatically opted them into a “content analysis” initiative and sent out a statement alerting their community. Under the initiative, Adobe can analyze artwork using machine learning, specifically the pattern recognition of algorithms, in order to improve its products.
Adobe is attempting to use some of its widest-reaching services, such as Photoshop and Creative Cloud, as a platform to help create, test and improve its products. They claim it is all aimed at getting better at recognizing content, which in turn can help make their services more efficient and up to date with the current industry standards.
The issue is that many of their users have expressed concerns about Adobe collecting user data without consent. It is unclear if work uploaded onto the Adobe cloud will be made public, private, or be used for further research and development. As part of their initiative, Adobe has released a privacy policy to explain exactly how and why they are collecting data from users and what they plan to use it for.
Adobe has also given users the option to opt out of the program if desired. Adobe is suggesting that if users do not want their work used to train its algorithms, that they click on the “Opt Out” link in the Privacy Policy page or contact customer support.
Overall, Adobe’s initiative may allow them to improve the quality of their products, but it comes with a risk of exposing user artwork to potential privacy issues. It is up to the user to carefully consider their options and to become familiar with Adobe’s Privacy Policy and opt-out options.
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