AI is learning from what you said on Reddit, Stack Overflow or Facebook. Are you OK with that?

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — Post a comment on Reddit, answer coding questions on Stack Overflow, edit a Wikipedia entry or share a baby photo on your public Facebook or Instagram feed and you are also helping to train the next generation of artificial intelligence.

Not everyone is OK with that — especially as the same online forums where they've spent years contributing are increasingly flooded with AI-generated commentary mimicking what real humans might say.

Some longtime users have tried to delete their past contributions or rewrite them into gibberish, but the protests haven't had much effect. A handful of governments — including Brazil's privacy regulator on Tuesday — have also tried to step in.

“A more significant portion of the population just kind of feels helpless,” said Reddit volunteer moderator Sarah Gilbert, who also studies online communities at Cornell University. “There’s nowhere to go except just completely going offline or not contributing in ways that bring value to them and value to others.”

Platforms are responding — with mixed results. Take Stack Overflow, the popular hub for computer programming tips. First, it banned ChatGPT-written responses due to frequent errors, but now it's partnering with AI chatbot developers and has punished some of its own users who tried to erase their past contributions in protest.

It’s one of a number of social media platforms grappling with user wariness — and occasional revolts — as they try to adapt to the changes brought by generative AI.

Software developer Andy Rotering of Bloomington, Minnesota, has used Stack Overflow daily for 15 years and said he worries the company “could be inadvertently hurting its greatest resource” — the community of contributors who’ve donated time to help other programmers.

“Keeping contributors incentivized to provide commentary should be paramount,” he said.

Stack Overflow CEO Prashanth Chandrasekar said the company is trying to balance rising demand for instant chatbot-generated coding assistance with the desire for a community “knowledge base” where people still want to post and “get recognized” for what they've contributed.

“Fast forward five years — there’s going to be all sorts of machine-generated content on the web," he said in an interview. "There’s going to be very few places where there’s truly authentic, original human thought. And we’re one of those places."

Chandrasekar readily describes Stack Overflow's challenges as like one of the “case studies” he learned about at Harvard Business School, of a how a business survives — or doesn't — after a disruptive technological change.

For more than a decade, users typically landed on Stack Overflow after typing a coding question in Google, and then found the answer, copied and pasted it. The answers they were most likely to see came from volunteers who'd built up points measuring their credibility — which in some cases could help land them a job.

Now programmers can simply ask an AI chatbot — some of which are already trained on everything ever posted to Stack Overflow — and it can instantly spit out an answer.

ChatGPT's debut in late 2022 threatened to put Stack Overflow out of business. So Chandrasekar carved out a special 40-person team at the company to race out the launch of its own specialized AI chatbot, called Overflow AI. Then, the company made deals with Google and ChatGPT maker OpenAI, enabling the AI developers to tap into Stack Overflow's question-and-answer archive to further improve their AI large language models.

That kind of strategy makes sense but may have come too late, said Maria Roche, an assistant professor at Harvard Business School. “I’m surprised that Stack Overflow wasn’t working on this earlier," she said.

When some Stack Overflow users tried to delete their past comments after the Open AI partnership was announced, the company responded by suspending their accounts due to terms that make all contributions “perpetually and irrevocably licensed to Stack Overflow."

“We quickly addressed it and said, ‘Look, that’s not acceptable behavior’,” said Chandrasekar, describing the protesters as a small minority in the “low hundreds” of the platform's 100 million users.

Brazil’s national data protection authority on Tuesday took action to ban social media giant Meta Platforms from training its AI models on the Facebook and Instagram posts of Brazilians. It established a daily fine of 50,000 reais ($8,820) for non-compliance.

Meta in a statement called it a “step backwards for innovation” and said it has been more transparent than many industry counterparts doing similar AI training on public content, and that its practices comply with Brazilian laws.

Meta has also encountered resistance in Europe, where it recently put on hold its plans to start feeding people’s public posts into training AI systems — which was supposed to start last week. In the U.S., where there's no national law protecting online privacy, such training is already likely happening.

“The vast majority of people just have no idea that their data is being used,” Gilbert said.

Reddit has taken a different approach — partnering with AI developers like OpenAI and Google while also making clear that content can't be taken in bulk without the platform’s approval by commercial entities “with no regard for user rights or privacy.” The deals helped bring Reddit the money it needed to debut on Wall Street in March, with investors pushing the value of the company close to $9 billion seconds after it began trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

Reddit hasn't tried to punish users who protested — nor could it easily do so given how much say voluntary moderators have on what happens in their specialty forums known as subreddits. But what worries Gilbert, who helps moderate the “AskHistorians” subreddit, is the increasing flow of AI-generated commentary that moderators must decide whether to allow or ban.

“People come to Reddit because they want to talk to people, they don’t want to talk to bots,” Gilbert said. “There’s apps where they can talk to bots if they want to. But historically Reddit has been for connecting with humans.”

She said it's ironic that the AI-generated content threatening Reddit was sourced on the comments of millions of human Redditors, and “there’s a real risk that eventually it could end up pushing people out.”

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Associated Press writer Eléonore Hughes in Rio de Janeiro contributed to this report.

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The Associated Press and OpenAI have a licensing and technology agreement that allows OpenAI access to part of AP’s text archives.

Stack Overflow CEO Prashanth Chandrasekar poses on May 21, 2024, in Cambridge, Mass. Chandrasekar said the company is trying to balance rising demand for instant chatbot-generated coding assistance with the desire for a community "knowledge base" where people still want to post and "get recognized" for what they've contributed. (AP Photo/Matt O'Brien)

NEW YORK (AP) — The parent company of Saks Fifth Avenue has signed a deal to buy upscale rival Neiman Marcus Group, which owns Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman stores, for $2.65 billion, with online behemoth Amazon holding a minority stake.

The new entity will be called Saks Global, creating a luxury powerhouse at a time when the arena has become increasingly fragmented with different players, from online marketplaces that sell luxury goods to upscale fashion and accessories brands opening up their own stores.

The new organization will comprise the Saks Fifth Avenue and Saks OFF 5TH brands, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman, as well as the real estate assets of Neiman Marcus Group and HBC, a holding company that purchased Saks in 2013.

The stores will continue to operate under their own brand names.

HBC has secured $1.15 billion in financing from investment funds and accounts managed by affiliates of Apollo, and a $2 billion fully committed revolving asset based loan facility from Bank of America, which is the lead underwriter, Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, RBC Capital Markets, and Wells Fargo.

The deal was announced Thursday after the two department store chains had been in negotiations for about a year. But the twist is Amazon’s minority stake, which adds “a bit of spice” to an otherwise anticipated pact, according to Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData, a research firm. Amazon will be working with Saks Global to offer its expertise in logistics and personalization technology. Salesforce, a cloud-based software powerhouse, will also become an investor at closing.

The Wall Street Journal first reported the impending deal Wednesday.

“For years, many in the industry have anticipated this transaction and the benefits it would drive for customers, partners and employees," said Richard Baker, HBC executive chairman and CEO in a statement. “This is an exciting time in luxury retail, with technological advancements creating new opportunities to redefine the customer experience, and we look forward to unlocking significant value for our customers, brand partners and employees."

Marc Metrick, who is CEO of Saks' e-commerce business, will become CEO of Saks Global. He told The Associated Press on Thursday during a phone interview that consumers are increasingly demanding more access to designer product, easier ways to shop and more personalized experiences.

“This type of combination was the next move to make in order to put Saks, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman where they need to be for the consumer, ” he said.

Both Saks and Neiman Marcus have struggled as shoppers have been pulling back on buying high-end goods and shifting their spending toward experiences, like travel and upscale restaurants. The two iconic luxury purveyors have also faced stiffer competition from luxury brands, which are increasingly opening their own stores.

The deal should help reduce operating costs and create more negotiating power with vendors. The new entity will also give shoppers better access to more designers, particularly up-and-coming ones as it will have more financial flexibility. Shoppers will also see their experiences more personalized through improved use of artificial intelligence, Metrick said.

Saks Fifth Avenue currently operates 39 stores in the U.S., including its Manhattan flagship. In early 2021, Saks spun off its website into a separate company, with the hopes of expanding that business at a time when more people were shopping online.

Neiman Marcus filed for bankruptcy protection in May 2020 during the first months of the coronavirus pandemic but emerged in September of that year. Like many of its peers, the privately held department store chain was forced to temporarily close its stores for several months.

Meanwhile, other department stores are under pressure to keep increasing sales.

Storied Lord & Taylor announced in late August 2020 it was closing all its stores after filing for bankruptcy earlier that month. It's operating online. Macy’s announced in February of this year that it will close 150 unproductive namesake stores over the next three years including 50 by year-end.

Consumers have proven resilient and willing to shop even after a bout of inflation, though behaviors have shifted, with some Americans trading down to lower-priced goods.

A deal between the two luxury retailers does not resolve all the issues, especially when high-end shoppers are looking to buy luxury goods online or at luxury brands' own stores, Saunders said.

“As a larger entity, negotiating power will be a little better with the brands, but even a combined chain would not match the heft and power of the global luxury conglomerates, which would still hold most of the cards,” Saunders said. “As such, there is a risk that the deal might end up creating an even bigger headache for Saks.”

Saunders noted that Amazon's stake in the business makes sense, as it has ambitions to play more heavily in the luxury arena. Saunders said Amazon could use its ability to streamline logistics and e-commerce and create an advantage for the new entity in a market where online shopping has become more important to shoppers — especially younger ones, which both chains need to do more to attract, he said.

Saks Global will also include HBC’s U.S. real estate assets and Neiman Marcus Group’s real estate assets, creating a $7 billion portfolio of retail real estate assets in top-tier luxury shopping destinations. Ian Putnam, currently president and CEO of HBC Properties and Investments, will become CEO of Saks Global Properties and Investments, which will manage the company’s portfolio of assets.

Both Metrick and Putnam will report to Baker, who will serve as executive chairman of Saks Global.

FILE - Shoppers walk into the Neiman Marcus retail department store at NorthPark shopping center in Dallas, March 30, 2023. The parent company of Saks Fifth Avenue has signed a deal to buy upscale rival Neiman Marcus for $2.65 billion. The buyout was announced Thursday, July 4, 2024, after months of rumors that the department store chains had been negotiating a deal. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

FILE — A Saks & Company doorman opens the 50th Street store entrance for customers, in New York, May 21, 1996. The parent company of Saks Fifth Avenue has signed a deal to buy upscale rival Neiman Marcus for $2.65 billion. The buyout was announced Thursday, July 4, 2024, after months of rumors that the department store chains had been negotiating a deal. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

A Neiman Marcus sign is shown in San Francisco, Sunday, March 17, 2024. The parent company of Saks Fifth Avenue has signed a deal, Thursday, July 4, 2024, to buy upscale rival Neiman Marcus for $2.65 billion.(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)