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Automattic, the parent company of platforms such as WordPress and Tumblr, is reportedly in discussions regarding the potential sale of platform content to AI entities like MidJourney, and OpenAI for training purposes, as indicated by recent information disclosed by various media outlets. Although the specifics of this arrangement remain unclear, Automattic is emphasizing to users that they retain the option to opt out at their discretion.
According to insights provided by 404 Media, internal discord has arisen within Automattic due to the inclusion of certain content, including private materials not originally intended for company retention, within the data furnished to AI entities. Moreover, it has been reported that advertising content, including elements from a previous Apple Music campaign, has inadvertently found its way into the training dataset. The internal controversy at Automattic has prompted actions such as a product manager personally removing their photos from Tumblr to prevent their utilization in AI training, as noted by 404.
The problem with OpenAI and other proprietary AI tools.
Since the inception of ChatGPT by OpenAI in late 2022, followed closely by text-prompt image generation technologies from various entities, generative AI has emerged as a significant industry. These systems operate by undergoing extensive data training, enabling them to produce content such as videos, images, or text that appears authentic. However, concerns have been raised by prominent publishers, with legal actions alleging that much of the training data may have been obtained unlawfully or fails to align with the parameters of “fair use” within existing copyright frameworks.
Non-consensual sharing of users’ data with AI tools.
Automattic, the company behind the open-source CMS WordPress and the owner (after a recent acquisition) of Tumblr, has been one of the companies we really respect for a long time. They have been responsible for a growing open-source ecosystem; their CEO almost always mentions open source as something he and his company are committed to, and they have been one of the few companies that have been remote since day one, which is something that also has inspired our team, among other things. They published an announcement on their Tumblr page, but it lacks details in our opinion, and the only good news there is that now you can opt out from sharing your data with third parties.
You are not opted out by design; you have to go to the settings of your Tumblr blog and opt out. Not good. We are really concerned about this development, even though, as we mentioned, we like Automattic, and even though it impacts Tumblr (a proprietary platform at the moment) and websites on WordPress.com, not self-hosted open-source software that the company provides.
The solution: Self-Hosting and Managed Hosting of Open Source Software.
How to avoid feeding AI with your content? Well, the best way is to (a) avoid proprietary platforms where you don’t have any control over the content you are producing as a blogger or website owner and/or (b) self-host software like Nextcloud, Ghost, or WriteFreely. There is also a third option of doing it if you don’t have the technical know-how or don’t want to spend your time managing the technical side of things and just want to focus on the important and fun parts of your engagement (be it writing amazing content, growing your newsletter subscribers, or improving your SEO for your e-shop). You can opt for one of our managed hosting packages for open source software. We don’t sell your data to third parties, and we take care of software deployment, server space, automated backups, SSL certificates, and human-powered tech support when you need it.
We hope that Automattic will change their controversial decision, but even if they don’t, the best approach is to self-host open-source software for your website/blog or choose a trusted managed hosting team like ours.
