Embracing change. AI has caught us off guard — in the blink of an eye, it seems all we had taken for granted was seemingly changing overnight. Tech giants are fighting for first place, and everyone else is frantically following. Somewhere along the way, many lost sight of their visions for a chance to get a leg-up in the race, though not Reddit. Since its launch, the social media platform and online forum has time and again championed its human-first community. 20 years later, it seems Reddit is finally letting AI in — though on its own terms.

AI-generated human answers. In late 2024, Reddit began testing out a new AI feature called Reddit Answers — an AI-powered search tool that provides summaries to users’ queries. How is that different from other AI-powered search engines, such as Google’s AI Mode or Perplexity Search, you may ask? Well, they draw from real conversations had by real people, no hallucinations there.

Unlike most AI-powered search engines, Reddit will cite its sources. The AI summaries provided by Reddit Answers don’t assume you’ll take them for granted. Each provides links to its source posts, drawn from myriad posts and discussions on the platform — no SEO fluff. Given that these summaries are based on actual human experience, they actually prove useful. To ensure that always remains the case, Reddit is constantly on the hunt for AI generated posts and comments that might risk the platform’s integrity.

Reddit proves you can embrace change and still stick to your values — no sneaky terms and conditions edits, no overhauls, and no gimmicks. “Trust is an essential component of the way Reddit works,” Reddit CTO Chris Slowe told the Verge. Yet, the social media platform finds itself in grave danger. Reddit’s exponential growth is largely owed to the fact that traditional search engines prioritized the platform. With traditional search now giving way to AI, it could mean bad news for the orange app.

That said, Reddit is still a gold mine —and it’s holding down its fort. For AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini, Reddit’s data is a coveted prize. With 108 mn daily users engaging in conversations across countless subreddits, it becomes clear why Reddit feels the need to protect itself.

Earlier in June, the website sued Anthropic, accusing the AI-giant behind Claude of unlawfully using its data to train its AI models, according to the New York Times. “We will not tolerate profit-seeking entities like Anthropic commercially exploiting Reddit content […] without any respect for [Redditors’] privacy,” Reddit’s statement reads. It’s worth mentioning, however, that Reddit has struck deals with OpenAI and Google, allowing both giants to utilize public Reddit content, though under specific terms.

In the age of AI, reddit is still wagering on human connection. “There will always be a need, a desire for people to talk to people about stuff,” Reddit CEO Steve Huffman said on a podcast earlier in June. The 20-year old legacy website is not averse to change, nor AI, but it is certainly mindful of how it navigates uncharted territories. As entire industries face AI disruption, and many question their future, Reddit continues to champion people — and hopefully, inspire other entities to do the same.

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