If you are using any kind of Adobe software you will want to go in and disable Adobe Content Analysis. This sneaky feature, which is enabled by default allows Adobe to use all of your data to help train machine learning and AI systems. Essentially you will be inadvertently helping to end your own creative purpose. The worst part is that you pay them a subscription yet they abuse the privilege.
Related: How to fix MP4 format files not accepted in Premiere Pro.
Adobe has recently come under fire for a new default setting that automatically allows user content to be analyzed. This means that Adobe’s product development and improvement team can use your data to eventually replace you. The setting, known as Content Analysis, applies to video, audio, images, text, and other user-created documents which is then fed into machine learning systems to develop Adobe's AI tools.
If you aren’t exactly sure what this means, it basically allows Adobe to train Image generative AI models. These GAI models are typically trained using a technique called deep learning, which involves training a neural network on a large dataset of images.
The process typically goes as follows. Though is a lot more intricate than it might sound.
Collect a large dataset of images: This is used to train the AI model, and it should be diverse and representative of the types of images the model will be generating.
Pre-process the images: The images in the dataset are typically pre-processed to make them easier to work with
Define the neural network architecture: This involves specifying the number of layers, the number of neurons in each layer, and the type of activation functions that will be used. It’s complex to understand but it works.
Train the model: Involves feeding the pre-processed images into the neural network and adjusting the weights and biases of the network so that it can accurately generate new images that are similar to the ones in the training dataset.
Fine-tune the model: Once the model is trained, it can be fine-tuned by adjusting its parameters and training it on additional data to improve its performance. The more data you feed the system the better it gets!
Generate new images: Finally, the AI has enough information to create images based on user prompts
The end results are Generative AI tools like Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, DALL-E, etc. So if you don’t want your content to be fed into systems like this while paying a subscription that will eventually be used to replace you, you’ll want to disable Adobe Content Analysis. It’s also worth noting that Adobe’s FAQ page about content analysis is vague and does not provide much information on how the data analysis is used. Which should send alarm bells ringing.
How do you opt out of Adobe's Content Analysis? Disable Adobe Content Analysis.
The good news is that you can opt out of Adobe Content analysis using the following steps:
- First visit the Adobe website, the sign into your account.
- From the main page click your Profile Picture then click View Account.
- Next click Edit Profile below your Profile Picture.
- On this page change to the Privacy and personal data page.
- Finally, scroll down and disable: Allow my content to be analyzed by Adobe for product improvement and development purposes.
Once you have made the change Adobe should stop using your content for whatever they feel like, including training generative AI tools. While AI tools can be super handy for a range of tasks. They are slowly but surely going to replace just about everything humans currently do. By taking the simple step of disabling this setting in your privacy settings, you can protect your personal data and ensure that your work remains private. Don't let your content be used without your knowledge, take control of your privacy and opt out of Adobe's Content Analysis.
