Microsoft on Wednesday denied claims that it uses customer data from its Microsoft 365 applications, including Word and Excel, to train artificial intelligence models.

The setting in question 'only enables features requiring internet access like co-authoring a document,' Microsoft says.

Following concerns that Microsoft is using connected experiences in its office apps to train its AI language models, the company clarified that worries are unfounded.

The confusion arose from a privacy setting in Microsoft Office that toggles “optional connected experiences” — a feature that helps users “search for online pictures” or “find information available online,

People are increasingly worried about how AI affects them. Will our jobs become obsolete? Are we constantly being tracked online and in the real world? Most recently, people have raised concerns about whether our creative and professional work is being used to train large language models.

Microsoft has reached out to confirm that it does not use customer data to train its large language models. They

All of the recent hullabaloo surrounding Microsoft 365's 'connected experiences' has been a misunderstanding, per the company.

Microsoft has denies rumors of using Microsoft 365 customer data data to train AI models. The company took to social media and shared statements to explain its Connected Experiences within Microsoft 365.