Microsoft has officially addressed concerns regarding data collection practices in Microsoft 365, firmly denying the use of customer data from applications like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for AI model training. This statement comes in response to viral claims about their “Connected Experiences” feature.

Connected Experiences, a feature enabled by default since April 2019, provides cloud-based productivity tools including co-authoring capabilities, real-time grammar checking, web resources integration, and design suggestions. Users can access online templates and content through this feature, with the option to disable it via File > Account > Account Privacy > Manage Settings.

While Microsoft 365 incorporates AI features such as PowerPoint Designer and Word Editor, these utilize basic machine learning algorithms rather than advanced generative AI or Large Language Models. The company emphasizes that customer data remains protected and is not used for training AI systems.

For enterprise users, organization administrators maintain control over Connected Experiences settings through comprehensive policy options available across multiple platforms including Mac, iOS, and Android. This ensures institutional-level privacy management while maintaining productivity features.

The clarification reinforces Microsoft’s commitment to data privacy while explaining the legitimate use of cloud-connected features within their productivity suite.