Social media platform X has updated its developer agreement to prohibit third-party entities from leveraging its data for the training and fine-tuning of artificial intelligence models. In the latest revision introduced Wednesday, the company explicitly specified this prohibition within its section entitled “Reverse Engineering and Other Restrictions.” The updated terms state clearly, “You shall not, and you shall not attempt to (or allow others to), use the X API or X Content to fine-tune or train a foundation or frontier model.”
This adjustment arrives after Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence enterprise, xAI, acquired X earlier this year. Industry analysts suggest the timing makes strategic sense, as xAI likely aims to restrict competing AI companies from freely accessing and utilizing the extensive datasets generated by X’s platform without formal commercial arrangements.
X previously allowed broader use of its publicly available data for AI training purposes, having updated its privacy policies in 2023 accordingly. In October 2024, subsequent changes expanded permissions even further, enabling third-parties to harness user-generated content for their AI development initiatives.
This tightening of data policy at X reflects a broader trend within the technology sector, where prominent platforms seek to protect their proprietary data assets by limiting the accessibility for rival AI ventures. Recently, Reddit implemented its own measures aimed explicitly at blocking AI crawlers and automated data harvesting activities. Similarly, The Browser Company, makers of the AI-enabled browser Dia, has enacted policies forbidding the use of its aggregated user data in external AI model training.
This developing situation underscores a critical challenge facing the artificial intelligence community—how companies balance open access to valuable datasets with their need to maintain a competitive edge and ensure control over how their proprietary information is utilized in rapidly evolving AI applications.
