Massive E-Learning Platform Udemy Gave Teachers a Gen AI 'Opt-Out Window'. It's Already Over.

An anonymous reader shares a report: Udemy, an e-learning platform with more than 250,000 online classes, recently announced that it would train generative AI on the classes that its users contribute to the site. Not only were class teachers automatically opted in to having their classes used as training, Udemy said teachers would have only a three-week "window" to opt-out of training. That window has now passed. "We want to officially announce that the opt-out period for our Generative AI Program (GenAI Program) begins today, August 21st, and goes through September 12th. The choice to participate in the GenAI program is yours. If you want to participate, no action is needed!," Udemy said in a post on its community forums August 21. In an "Instructor Generative AI Policy" document, it says it plans to offer "Annual Periods designated by us" during which instructors can opt-out of having their classes trained on, and said that when people opt-out of training, it will remove the instructors' classes from its dataset "by the end of the calendar year." It has also told instructors that "By opting out, you'll lose access to all AI features and benefits, which may affect your course visibility and potential earnings." With the first opt-out window having passed, instructors are now seeing a grayed-out option in their settings if they didn't know about the window or would like to opt-out now.

Imagine

[Baron_Yam]

Imagine a job posting that said: this used to be a career, but we'll let you work here while we train a computer to replace you.

Just start looking somewhere else right away.

Re:

[sourcerror]

The company doesn't have to tell you. They own the copyright to the work of their employees by default.

Re: Imagine

[viperidaenz]

They usually own a perpetual license to the content. Stops issues of copyright claims against them by a third party, by forwarding the blame on to the user.

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

LOL Teachers are both unnecessary and overpaid? I guess you just want the whole country to be as stupid as you are.

Re:

[lilTimmy]

You can tell which way he votes too. There used to be a time when it might be up in the air, but not anymore.

Re:

[BringsApples]

Politics is a religion whereby man is god. Stop preaching.

Re:I don't have to use much imagination at all.

[printman]

As far as public school teachers go. I'm surprised they weren't replaced by VHS tapes, Scantron tests, and low-paid test proctors in the 1980's. It's long past time for public school teachers to be extinct other than the ones making educational materials. Their pensions and gold plated benefits can also go extinct.

Having grown up as a child of two teachers, my parents didn't get paid shit, their pensions are pitiful, and my mom got shafted by the first school she worked for because they refused to report her work as a full-time teaching position even though it was... So I don't know where teachers are getting "gold plated benefits", but in the US (at least) I haven't seen any evidence of it. Hell, when I lived in California the teachers would get pink slips at the end of the school year and then would be "invited back" in August if they had enough money to pay for them to come back for the fall.

I also know that a lot of kids need "in person" instruction and support. If the pandemic demonstrated anything, it showed that e-learning doesn't work for every kid. Schools need a lot more money and a lot more teachers/staff to support kids at every level of ability/need.

Re:

[GoTeam]

Having grown up as a child of two teachers, my parents didn't get paid shit, their pensions are pitiful

My dad was the teacher in the family. I grew up just under the poverty line. Later on he switched over to be a part time teacher and a part time administrator, so his pension got better. He hated the administration work, but didn't want to retire being dependent on social security to supplement his sorry pension.

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

You might be amazed to discover that some people want to become teachers. The idea of helping to nurture and give back to the community might not be something you can understand, but it's a motivation for some people.

Re:

[GoTeam]

He was in army intelligence. He turned down working for the CIA (thankfully) because he had a young family at the time. After that he got a couple masters degrees. After being a TA at Arizona State while getting his second masters degree decided he enjoyed teaching. Did it for over 40 years.

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[sid crimson]

My parents were both high school teachers in California, lived reasonably frugal lives... always purchased good used cars and kept them for a while, annual vacations though nothing too luxurious, and owned their home. They never carried debt, and put away for retirement during the "roaring 80s" and now have more money than their habits can spend before they die. I grew up wanting for nothing, although I admit that I didn't have all the toys like some of my neighbors...

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

. Second, in my state they get to retire at 55 with 30 years of service.

I looked up the information (it's easy to find). No teacher in the USA that started in the last 10 years will get to retire at 55 unless they take early retirement with reduced pension. Massachusetts will allow new teachers to retire at 60, which is the lowest. For the vast majority of states it is now 65. The cut off starting point as a teacher for retirement at 55 is, in many instances, decades past. In some states the sum of service plus age must have been greater than 85 with a minimum service of 30. So

Re:

[backslashdot]

cricket bats? Was that in the UK or Australia? What does that have to do with teachers in the US. You went to a shitty school with shitty teachers that turned you into a vengeful idiot that wants mass revenge without regard for who is guilty or innocent.

Re:

[Seven Spirals]

It was in the US and I am certainly vengeful. There are idiots here who have cricket bats for whatever reason (to beat up kids, in this case, I suppose). I'm definitely not saying I'm a friend to public schools, but in this case; I'm simply pointing out the obvious. Video streams should have replaced teachers long ago, aside from abuse, I'm just talking about the effectiveness of your average public school teacher versus the best people we can find and all the educational resources imaginable to make video

Re:

[Baron_Yam]

We are social apes. Expecting children to learn effectively while isolated from social interactions is something we only tried because of COVID.

You can learn that way on your own time as an internally motivated adult, but it is a rare child who has that capability. Not only that, it's not just the stuff in textbooks kids are learning - they are getting socialized at the same time.

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[Anonymous Coward]

As far as public school teachers go. I'm surprised they weren't replaced by VHS tapes, Scantron tests, and low-paid test proctors in the 1980's.

Tell us you don't know what teachers do without telling us.

It's long past time for public school teachers to be extinct

Ones in private schools are different? How?

Their pensions and gold plated benefits can also go extinct.

You are in favor of retrospectively changing contracts? Interesting. I guess you don't much like the rule of law. And I thought you were some sort of libertarian.

Re:Imagine

[backslashdot]

Automation was only fine when factory workers were affected? What kind of worker is OK to be replaced, and what isn't? Let me guess, the job YOU have? Nobody has a "right" to a job. That's silly, it means if you cook your own food you're taking the job of chef away. If you make your own bed, you're taking away the job of a maid.

Automation is better for civilization, but only if we couple it with Universal Basic Income or else it will result in poverty for some (or many).

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[locopuyo]

Automation is a tale as old as time, at points in history even more disruptive than it is now. It has always been positive for the vast majority of society. We don't suddenly need UBI. People just need to move on with their life and get new jobs.

Re:

[HiThere]

You're ignoring the high death rate that normally accompanies the transition.

Re: Imagine

[TJHook3r]

Get new jobs, I'll be fascinated to see what millions of IT workers will do next

Re:

[starworks5]

Imagine being a computer scientist getting mad that someone automated your job with a computer.

Re:

[wed128]

If you're a computer scientist, and you're worried about some neural network stealing your job, then you're not a very good computer scientist.

Mehh

[paul_engr]

Udemy sucks ass anyways

Re: Mehh

[TJHook3r]

All those low effort video courses that instructors slapped together to give a high level view on the software of the moment. Seriously, it pisses me off that so many of their courses are so poor. Some are good to be fair, but you'd never really know since most courses seem to get an average of around 4.3 regardless of quality

and the students?

[idontusenumbers]

Do the students get a say?

Re:and the students?

[Savage-Rabbit]

Do the students get a say?

Yes, they can vote with their wallets.

Tech Hostage Taking

[RitchCraft]

It seems that taking your customers hostage is the normal thing to do in tech now.

Re:

[gweihir]

Indeed. Because, unfortunately, it seems to work.

Re:

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

AI craze / bitcoin similarity

[avandesande]

It's like a cryptocurrency tumbler for IP