AI data scraping in Microsoft Word and Excel has secretly been enabled by default – the disable switch is not that easy to find

It’s no secret that Microsoft Office has Connected Experiences that analyze user-generated content. According to @nixCraft, a writer for Cyberciti.biz. Microsoft’s Connected Experiences feature automatically collects data from Word and Excel files to train the company’s AI models. This feature is enabled by default, meaning user-generated content will be included in AI training unless manually disabled. However, this deactivation is a very complicated process. Microsoft has not yet commented on the information, so take it with a grain of salt.

This default setting allows Microsoft to use documents such as articles, novels, or other works intended for copyright or commercial purposes without explicit permission. The implications are significant for developers and companies that rely on Microsoft Office for proprietary work, as their data could become part of the company’s AI development. For this reason, anyone concerned about protecting their intellectual property or sensitive information should take immediate action.