Following concerns that arose on social networks and on his own support forums For several weeks, Microsoft has wanted to set the record straight: the company does not use Microsoft 365 applications (formerly Microsoft Office) to train its AI models, Copilot or otherwise.
The confusion comes from the apps’ “connected experiences” options, which are enabled by default and power features like cloud fonts and downloadable document templates. Connected experiences were added as a result long before the advent of generative AIIt is therefore not clear what sparked the controversy, although it could be attributable to a recent Microsoft support document this explains which connected experiences “analyze your content”.
In response to a popular article on ” which claimed that the feature “scrapes your Word and Excel documents to train its internal AI systems,” the official Microsoft 365 account responded: “In M365 apps, we don’t use customer data to train LLMs . This setting only enables features that require Internet access, such as co-authoring a document.
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While it’s always advisable to be vigilant in protecting your data, the company ensures that connected analytics experiences in Microsoft 365 simply search the internet or consult Microsoft’s servers for help with your data. documents, most of which function as an advanced spell check. Microsoft said in a different support document that “common examples (of these experiences) include translating text in a document, checking spelling in an email, or suggesting design changes to a presentation.” In other words, you need to allow Microsoft to review what you’ve typed if it wants to transcribe it or check its grammar. According to the company, this feature has nothing to do with AI training.
In a statement to Practical geeka Microsoft spokesperson clarified, calling connected experiences “industry standard,” saying:
Microsoft does not use customer data from Microsoft 365 consumer and business apps to train large language models. Additionally, the Connected Services setting has nothing to do with how Microsoft trains large language models.
Microsoft’s head of communications, Frank Shaw, also gave his thoughts on the matter. on Blueskysaying these concerns are “not true.”
Controversy follows similar issues Adobe faced after updating its terms of service, sparking concerns that the company would now delete users’ images to power its AI image generator. Even though Microsoft officially states that this particular concern is a misunderstanding, it’s understandable why users are worried. Previously, other technology companies including X And Meta have opted by default for users to undergo AI training, legitimizing fears that other companies could take similar steps in the future.
How to opt out of Connected Experiences in Microsoft Office
If you prefer that Microsoft systems cannot see what you have typed in Word or Excel, you will need to uncheck a few options.
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Go to File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Privacy Options > Privacy Settings.
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Here you will see three Connected Experiences checkboxes. Uncheck what you don’t want.
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Uncheck Experiments that analyze your content will prevent Microsoft systems from accessing the contents of your documents.
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Uncheck Experiences that download content online will prevent Microsoft 365 from searching your document for content to download, such as templates or images.
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Uncheck All connected experiences will disable both of the above and prevent files from being stored online. Outlook will continue to work as usual.
If you have a document stored only online, such as Word documents created with a work or school account, your controls over connected experiences will be more limited. Here, navigate to File > About > Privacy Settings > Optional Connected Experiences. If your organization allows it, you can then uncheck the box to disable features such as smart search or inline image insertion.