Addressing the AI Usage

Instructions

So, as many of you have probably heard from other creators like @CatTheLoaf, Scratch has added a new agreement in their TOS that states, "By Posting User Content to or via the Service, to the maximum extent of your rights to do so, including under applicable law, you hereby grant: (a) other users of the Service a non-exclusive license to use, reproduce, modify, and create derivative works of such User Content solely for personal use within the Service and subject to these Terms; and (b) us a non-exclusive, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free license (with the right to grant and authorize sublicenses) to publicly display, publicly perform (including by means of a digital audio transmission), reproduce, distribute, create derivative works of, and otherwise use and exploit the User Content to provide the Service, for internal business purposes, to advertise, market, and promote the service, and to otherwise improve our products and services and create new products and services, including through the training of AI models." So, many people have obviously seen this and been rightfully a little freaked out by it, I am too. But please try to keep an open mind to this situation as well. Various people have jumped to the conclusion that they are using these "irrevocable rights to train AI models" as they are using your ART to train the AI. Now, that could very likely be a part of it, but keep in mind that what Scratch cares about is the coding side of its platform (and the money but that's not the point). This could be Scratch training its AI off of *your* code in *your* projects, which mind you, I still don't approve of. But if this is the case and they have no want or need to produce AI images, then art should be safe. Even if they aren't making AI images now, though, doesn't mean that they *won't*. Your art isn't and won't safe on this website going forward, as they said, again, "you hereby grant... us a non-exclusive, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free license... including through the training of AI models." If you don't understand what is being said here, essentially, ST is saying that they have an eternally long right to train AI models with things that you post on here, and that this right can not be taken away. So what this is saying is that you can't take back the fact that you've already read the TOS (as I assume you have, considering I don't think you could come to my profile if you hadn't) and agreed to the AWFUL contract. So, what does this mean for what I'll be doing with *my* account? For now, I'm definitely going to avoid sharing projects, but I'll respond to people as normal. I might quit sometime, as I don't really find much joy in this site and watching all of the drama unfold as yet another dumb thing is passed, but we'll still have to see on that one. For you, again, I'd recommend keeping an open mind on the situation and keeping in mind that they never entirely *specified* that they were stealing art, but be as safe with this as you would like. If you don't care whether AI is stealing your projects on here, cool, good for you. Please keep in mind that if you ARE against AI, any sort of interaction with it (as in Generative AI in particular, I am not against AI when it is in an actually helpful way (you can do your own research on this if you would like to know the difference)) IS helping in the rise of it on websites like Scratch. Even if this means occasionally talking with an AI chatbot, you're still being a part of the problem. I don't believe that people who have interacted with Generative AI should be shunned or ridiculed for it, but I would advise that you try and step away from it, especially if it's become more of a habit for you and not just a little on and off side project. Thank you for reading through all of this, I hope it wasn't too long