How Reddit’s New AI-Powered Feature Generates Answers by Curating User Posts
American online community network, Reddit, has introduced an AI feature. According to CNBC, the Reddit AI-powered feature makes it possible for users to find responses based on their posts. Reddit’s AI chatbot feature is part of the company’s plan to improve the way the users search the platform.
Personalizing User Experience
Reddit’s user base has been growing as Google improved search results. However, the number of log outs have exceeded logins since quarter four of 2023. The company has been struggling to monetize both logged in and logged-out users. This has forced Reddit to develop more personalized features to incentivize users.
“Reddit is the sixth most searched word on Google in the US this year, and so, those are people literally typing the word Reddit into Google. They know they’re going to end up there. They’re using, in this case, Google to navigate Reddit,” Huffman said in October.
Reddit has been testing its AI feature for the last six months before rolling it out widely. The company says that only a small section of US users will have access to the new Reddit Answers feature during this phase. Users can access the Reddit Answers feature through a new button placed on the homepage.
From the homepage, users land on an interface where they can post their questions. The user interface is very similar to what you find on Perplexity, ChatGPT, and other generative AI platforms.
User Generated Responses
Although the Reddit Answers interface looks like other AI platforms, it works differently. Unlike other AI search tools that source for answers around the web, Reddit’s AI feature generates answers from the posts that users leave on the platform.
“Once a question is asked, curated summaries of relevant conversations and details across Reddit will appear, including links to related communities and posts,” the company said.
A good example is when a user posts a question like how to modify a popular Jeep model. Using the AI feature, Reddit will list all the tips, quotes, and summaries from related posts made by other users on the platform. The platform also provides links to the answers so users can access the related links directly.
VP for Product, Serkan Piantino said that Reddit AI generated replies are about creating a bridge to user generated content as opposed to replacing the platform. The intention of introducing Reddit Answers is to get users to access more content on the platform.
Focused Investment
Reddit says that its users will be able to query any topic on its AI chatbot except for content that is not safe for work. In October 2024, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman said that the AI-powered search is focused investment.
“It helps core users navigate Reddit, answer their questions, and it’s a monetization opportunity. It’s one of the few products that kind of touches everything,” he said during the third-quarter earnings call.
Reddit developed its AI chatbot using AI models from Google Cloud and OpenAI. The chatbot has been built on top of Reddit’s current search architecture. The company has signed data licensing agreements with Google and OpenAI where the two big techs pay Reddit to access its data for use in their respective AI models.
