Stack Overflow and OpenAI recently announced a new API partnership that will combine Stack Overflow’s technical content with OpenAI’s ChatGPT AI assistant. The deal has caused controversy among Stack Overflow users, with many expressing anger and protest over the use of their content to support and train AI models.
Stack Overflow is a popular platform for software developers to ask and answer technical questions related to coding. The site has a strong community of developers who contribute knowledge to help others solve programming problems.
Under the partnership, OpenAI will utilize Stack Overflow’s OverflowAPI product to enhance its AI models using content from the community. OpenAI plans to incorporate validated technical knowledge from Stack Overflow directly into ChatGPT to provide users with reliable information backed by the platform’s developers.
In return, OpenAI will give attribution to the Stack Overflow community within ChatGPT, although the specifics of how this will be done are unclear. Stack Overflow will also integrate OpenAI technology into OverflowAI, an AI model introduced in July 2023 to offer answers to developer questions.
Despite the touted benefits of the collaboration, many Stack Overflow users are unhappy with the partnership. Some users have tried to alter or delete their posts in protest, claiming that their contributions are being used without consent. Stack Overflow staff have reportedly banned users who participated in the protest and have reverted or removed their posts.
Moderators have stated that once posts are made on Stack Overflow, they become part of the collective efforts of the community and should only be removed in exceptional circumstances. The platform’s terms of service also indicate that users cannot revoke permission for Stack Overflow to use their content.
While Stack Overflow owns user posts, the site operates under a Creative Commons 4.0 license that requires attribution. It remains to be seen if the integration of ChatGPT will adhere to this license to address the concerns of disgruntled users. The situation continues to unfold as users and the platform navigate this new partnership.
