Part 5/8:
Though the introduction of Overflow AI aims to stabilize user engagement, it sparked intense controversy within the Stack Overflow community. Many users perceived this as a betrayal, especially as the platform sought to leverage user-generated content to improve AI models without the community being adequately acknowledged or compensated.
As a response to community backlash, Stack Overflow faced the difficult challenge of balancing innovation with the integrity of community contributions. Users began deleting their previous answers, resulting in a significant loss of content and an erosion of community trust.