Adobe is revising its terms of service, under which it had access to all of its users’ work. Now, following user outcry, the company has said it will soon clarify what it can and cannot do with user data. This was reported by The Verge.

The main reason for user dissatisfaction was apparently the fear that Adobe would train its generative AI on user-generated work.

Users interpreted Adobe’s vague wording as allowing the company to freely access and use customer artwork to train its generative AI models. Adobe’s chief product officer Scott Belsky admitted that the wording was “unclear.”

Adobe’s president of digital media, David Wadhwani, says this was never planned.

“We have never trained generative AI on our customer’s content, we have never taken ownership of a customer’s work, and we have never allowed access to customer content beyond what’s legally required,” Wadhwani says.

Part of the creative community has longstanding grievances with Adobe over its alleged monopoly in the industry, subscription-based pricing model, and use of generative artificial intelligence.

The company trained its Firefly AI model on Adobe Stock images, openly licensed content, and public domain content. But some artists have still found images that reference their work on Adobe’s stock platform, making it difficult to trust the protections in place.

Wadhwani says that Adobe can remove content from Firefly’s training data that violates its policies, and that customers can opt out of automated systems designed to improve the company’s service.

Adobe acknowledges that “trust must be earned” and is looking for feedback to discuss the new changes. Greater transparency is a positive change, but it will likely take some time to convince creators that it has no ill intentions.