Video-conferencing platform Zoom has updated its terms of service following backlash and data privacy concerns over the use of customer data for training artificial intelligence (AI) models. The company clarified in a blog post that it does not utilize audio, video, or chat content for AI purposes without user consent. The move came after users flagged changes to the service’s terms in March that raised worries about AI training.
Experts had expressed concerns that the initial wording of the terms could allow Zoom to access broader user data than necessary, potentially including customer call information.
Zoom recently introduced AI-powered features, such as meeting summarization, and offered them as free trials. However, the way these features were presented as a trial raised alarms among privacy advocates, including the Open Rights Group, which called the changes “alarming.”
In response, Zoom updated its terms to clearly state that AI models would not be trained using customer content without explicit consent. The platform emphasized that users have the choice to enable generative AI features and decide whether to share their content with Zoom for product improvement purposes.
Smita Hashim, Zoom’s chief product officer, explained that account owners and administrators retain control over the features’ activation and that users who enable them will be provided with a transparent consent process.
