Since the election night on November 5, I've observed a significant departure of my X mutuals from the platform. This isn't surprising, considering Elon Musk's clear political stance, and those wishing to avoid financially supporting him are understandably leaving. I've remained due to work commitments, though I’ve reduced my posting. However, a recent change to X's terms of service has me contemplating deactivating my account. Starting today, X can use your posts to train its AI models, possibly even if you opt out. The specifics are unclear, but the language is concerning. The revised terms, under "Your Rights and Grant of Rights in the Content, " state: "By submitting, posting or displaying Content on or through the Services, you grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license (with the right to sublicense). . . including. . .

for use with and training of our machine learning and artificial intelligence models, whether generative or another type. " I've emphasized this new addition. While a non-exclusive, royalty-free license is typical for social media, these updates mean your continued use of the site allows X to train AI using your content. This change has users worried and confused since X has already been using user posts for AI training, with a clear opt-out option. Currently, this opt-out feature appears on both mobile and desktop, but with the updated terms, it’s uncertain if it retains its effect, or if the new terms will override user preferences. A clear resolution may only come if someone legally challenges this AI data usage, though this presents its own hurdles. Lawsuits over Twitter's terms would be held in either the U. S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas or state courts in Tarrant County, Texas—courts known for conservative judges. Given Musk’s political inclinations and X's Texas HQ, these courts might favor the company.