Trending Now - Github to Utilize User Data for AI Training Despite Concerns

WHO:

Copilot Free, Pro, and Pro+ users will have their data used for AI training, while Copilot Business and Copilot Enterprise users are exempt.

Students and teachers accessing Copilot will also be exempt from data collection.

GitHub, a subsidiary of Microsoft

Mario Rodriguez, GitHub's chief product officer

Martin Woodward, GitHub VP of developer relations

WHAT:

GitHub's revised policy will apply to Copilot Free, Pro, and Pro+ customers starting on April 24th, 2026.

GitHub users have expressed dissatisfaction with the plan, indicated by 59 thumbs-down votes and only three rocket ship emojis in community feedback.

GitHub plans to begin using customer interaction data to train its AI models starting on April 24th, 2026.

The data includes model outputs that have been accepted or modified, model inputs including code snippets, code context, comments, documentation, file names, repo structure, interactions with Copilot features, and feedback.

Users can opt out of data collection by disabling the "Allow GitHub to use my data for AI model training" option in their settings.

WHERE:

GitHub's data usage policy applies to users globally, with specific mention of US norms for opting out.

WHEN:

The new policy will take effect on April 24th, 2026.

WHY:

Mario Rodriguez stated, "By participating, you'll help our models better understand development workflows, deliver more accurate and secure code pattern suggestions, and improve their ability to help you catch potential bugs before they reach production."

The rationale for using interaction data is to improve the performance of AI models, as stated by Mario Rodriguez.

HOW:

GitHub users can opt out by visiting /settings/copilot/features and disabling "Allow GitHub to use my data for AI model training" under the Privacy heading.

Users can opt out by visiting /settings/copilot/features and adjusting their privacy settings.

(UPDATED March 26, 2026 19:23 UTC)

GitHub has announced a revised policy that will allow data from Copilot Free, Pro, and Pro+ users to be used for AI training starting on April 24, 2026, while Copilot Business, Enterprise users, students, and teachers will be exempt from this data collection. The community has voiced their dissatisfaction with this plan, reflected in feedback that includes 59 thumbs-down votes and only three positive rocket ship emojis. Users who wish to opt out can do so by visiting their settings and disabling the option to allow GitHub to use their data for AI model training.

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(UPDATED March 26, 2026 17:25 UTC)

GitHub, a subsidiary of Microsoft, announced that starting on April 24, 2026, it will begin using customer interaction data to train its AI models, according to chief product officer Mario Rodriguez. This data will include various inputs like code snippets, comments, and user feedback, but users can opt out of this data collection by adjusting their privacy settings. The policy applies globally, with specific guidelines for users in the U.S. regarding how to disable data usage for AI training.