Data and AI Clash: Microsoft vs Twitter Tech War Escalates

The tech industry has been rocked by a new conflict between Microsoft and Twitter, as the two giants battle it out over data and AI. Microsoft has recently dropped Twitter from its advertising platform, sparking a new tech war between the two giants over data and AI. 

Microsoft and Twitter are at loggerheads over this decision by the former to stop supporting the latter on its advertising platform. The move has sparked a backlash from Twitter users, including Elon Musk, who has accused Microsoft of using Twitter data illegally to train its AI models.

What happened?

On April 19, 2023, Microsoft announced that it will drop Twitter from its Smart Campaigns with Multi-platform feature, which allows advertisers to create and publish ads across different platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter. The change will take effect on April 25, 2023.

Microsoft said that the decision was made because Twitter had increased its API fees for accessing its data and services. API stands for Application Programming Interface, which is a set of rules and protocols that allow different software applications to communicate with each other.

"Starting on April 25, 2023, Smart Campaigns with Multi-platform will no longer support Twitter," Microsoft said in a blog post. "This means you won't be able to access your Twitter accounts or create and publish tweets through Smart Campaigns starting on this date."

Microsoft added that advertisers who want to continue using Twitter can do so through other tools, such as Hootsuite or Sprout Social. However, they will have to pay the API fees that Twitter charges for accessing its data and services.

Why did Twitter increase its API fees?

Twitter said that it had increased its API fees to reflect the value of its data and services, and to support its investments in innovation and security. The company said that it had introduced a new pricing model for its API in February 2023, which charges users based on the number of requests they make to access Twitter data and services.

According to Twitter, the new pricing model is more transparent and fair than the previous one, which charged users based on the number of followers they had. The company said that the new model also allows users to choose from different tiers of access, depending on their needs and budget.

Twitter said that it had notified its API users about the new pricing model in advance, and had given them a grace period of two months to adjust their usage or switch to other platforms. The company said that it had also offered discounts and incentives to some of its API users, especially those who use its data for academic or social good purposes.

How did Elon Musk react?

Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, and one of the most influential users of Twitter, was not happy with Microsoft's decision to drop Twitter from its advertising platform. He took to Twitter to express his outrage and threaten legal action against Microsoft.

"It is lawsuit time," Musk tweeted on April 20, 2023. "Microsoft has been using Twitter data illegally to train their AI models without our permission. They owe us billions of dollars for stealing our intellectual property."

They trained illegally using Twitter data. Lawsuit time.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 19, 2023

Musk claimed that Microsoft was a major backer of OpenAI's ChatGPT project, which is a large-scale AI system that can generate natural language texts based on user inputs. He alleged that ChatGPT was trained on millions of tweets from Twitter users, including himself, without their consent or compensation. Recently Musk had announced that it will create its own Artificial company to counter Microsoft and OpenAI and develop TruthGPT - maximum truth seeking AI.

Musk also accused Microsoft of being hypocritical for dropping Twitter from its advertising platform while using its data for its own benefit. He said that Microsoft was trying to avoid paying the API fees that Twitter charges for accessing its data and services.

"Microsoft is trying to kill two birds with one stone," Musk tweeted. "They want to save money by not paying Twitter's API fees, and they want to use our data for free to improve their AI models. This is unacceptable and unethical."

The conflict escalated when Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, threatened to sue Microsoft for using Twitter data illegally to train its AI models. Musk alleged that Microsoft had infringed his intellectual property rights by using his tweets and those of other prominent figures to create synthetic personalities and voices for its chatbots and digital assistants. Musk said that Microsoft had violated his privacy and dignity by exploiting his personal data without his permission or compensation.

Musk also accused Microsoft of engaging in unethical and irresponsible practices by using Twitter data to train its AI models without proper oversight or accountability. He warned that Microsoft's AI could pose a serious threat to humanity if it was not aligned with human values and interests. He urged Twitter to join forces with him and other tech leaders to challenge Microsoft's monopoly and dominance in the AI field.

The war between Microsoft and Twitter has raised important questions about the ownership, control, and use of data and AI in the digital age. It has also exposed the tensions and conflicts between different tech companies over their vision, strategy, and goals for the future of social media, online advertising, and artificial intelligence. The outcome of this war could have significant implications for the industry, the consumers, and the society at large.