OpenAI Deal Sparks Revolt Among Stack Overflow Users

Stack Overflow Partners with OpenAI Amid User Backlash

In a recent development, Stack Overflow and OpenAI announced a partnership that grants OpenAI access to Stack Overflow’s vast repository of user-generated content. As part of the agreement, OpenAI intends to provide attribution to the Stack Overflow community within ChatGPT, although the specifics remain unclear. Additionally, Stack Overflow plans to leverage OpenAI’s technology in the development of OverflowAI, an AI model designed to answer developer questions.

User Discontent and Protests

Despite the potential benefits touted by the companies, many Stack Overflow users have expressed their dissatisfaction with the partnership. This sentiment is particularly strong given Stack Overflow’s recent stance against generative AI, which included banning answers written using ChatGPT. Some users have attempted to alter or delete their posts in protest, arguing that the move exploits their contributions without an opt-out option. In response, Stack Overflow staff have reportedly been banning these users and reverting the protest posts.

User Account Suspension and Content Ownership

One Stack Overflow user, Ben, shared his experience on Mastodon after being suspended for posting a protest message:

Stack Overflow announced that they are partnering with OpenAI, so I tried to delete my highest-rated answers. Stack Overflow does not let you delete questions that have accepted answers and many upvotes because it would remove knowledge from the community. So instead I changed my highest-rated answers to a protest message. Within an hour mods had changed the questions back and suspended my account for 7 days.

According to Stack Overflow moderators, once posts are made, they become part of the collective efforts of other contributors and should only be removed under extraordinary circumstances. The site’s terms of service also state that users cannot revoke permission for Stack Overflow to use their contributed content.

Attribution and the Future of the Partnership

While Stack Overflow owns user posts, the site uses a Creative Commons 4.0 license that requires attribution. It remains to be seen if the upcoming ChatGPT integrations will adequately honor this license and satisfy the concerns of disgruntled Stack Overflow users. As the situation unfolds, the battle between the platform and its users continues.

This story originally appeared on Ars Technica.