As Reddit marks its 20th anniversary this week, the platform is exploring ways to enhance its offerings by integrating artificial intelligence alongside user-generated content. Known for its raw and authentic responses from a diverse community, Reddit is now looking to employ AI to enrich user interactions.
Chris Slowe, the Chief Technology Officer of Reddit, stated in an interview with Technology News that the testing of AI tools, particularly Reddit Answers, has been promising. In an interesting turn of events, while Google seeks human insights on Reddit, the platform is leveraging its own user-generated content to power AI functionalities aimed at extracting valuable information from its vast library of discussions and communities.
Reddit Answers represents a significant step in the company’s AI initiatives. It generates summaries in response to user inquiries and notably provides direct links to the original Reddit content, ensuring users are directed back to the site instead of to potentially misleading SEO-driven articles. The citations in Reddit Answers are also more prominent compared to those found in other AI tools, such as Google’s AI Mode, which has faced criticism from news outlets for its approach.
“If you just want a brief overview, it’s readily available,” Slowe explained. “For those wanting more detailed information, it provides a more straightforward pathway to dive deeper.”
Crucially, for AI-generated answers to retain their value, they must remain rooted in authentic human interactions. Consequently, Reddit is vigilant about preventing AI-generated posts from infiltrating its platform, as maintaining the authenticity of user interactions is vital. Slowe emphasized this aspect, stating, “Trust is an essential component of the way Reddit operates.” The platform is also utilizing AI and large language models (LLMs) to enhance moderation and ensure user safety.
Additionally, Reddit is looking to monetize its data, which is of significant interest to major AI companies. Changes initiated in the past couple of years, which prompted the shutdown of several notable applications and sparked user protests that Slowe described as “some unpleasantness,” have been framed by CEO Steve Huffman as a strategy to negotiate with AI firms. Reddit has established partnerships with both Google and OpenAI but remains alert to potential misuse of its data, as evidenced by its recent lawsuit against Anthropic.
Slowe asserted, “Ultimately, we are not a charity.” He further elaborated that while Reddit aims to offer valuable services at no cost to its users, it must also protect its interests to avoid being exploited by others.
With the emergence of new AI-driven search technologies from competitors such as Google and OpenAI, Reddit finds itself at a crossroads in preventing its offerings from being overshadowed by AI-generated content. The platform is actively experimenting with AI-assisted searches and is clear about its aspirations for the future.
“We want to preserve the essence of Reddit,” Slowe said. “The foundational model of Reddit has remained largely unchanged since its inception.” The platform continues to prioritize anonymity, emphasizing that usernames are highly valued by users, fostering a focus on content over individual identities—contrasting sharply with the dynamics of other social media platforms.
Reddit is also facing renewed competition from Digg, which is making a comeback with the support of founder Kevin Rose and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. Slowe expressed a positive outlook towards such innovations, stating, “I always appreciate seeing creativity and new twists on traditional business models.”
