One of the most popular chat and messaging sites around is getting an important AI facelift that might be a great example of pivoting to embrace what we’re seeing with LLMs.
Reddit is, for many people, where they get their information these days. Part of the enduring popularity is the real sense that you’re getting street-level opinions and unvarnished input through the platform.
People can get medical advice at sites like WebMD, or go to CNN or CNBC for news. They can look for lawyers on individual law firm sites. Or they can research any and all of these things over at Reddit, where real people share their real stories.
“Reddit … is in a class of its own. It’s the best social network out there by far,” writes Mitja Rutnik at Android Authority, detailing some of the reasons why people love to use the site, including anonymity and versatility. “The biggest reason why I think Reddit is number one in the world of social media is because it’s not as superficial as networks like Facebook and Instagram. It adds real value to my life, as it allows me to learn about the things I care about. I use it to talk to people about stocks, discuss the latest trends in tech, and even share ideas and opinions on how to make the best pizza. There’s a subreddit for just about anything, so anyone can connect with like-minded people regardless of their interests.”
Many would agree.
All of that is now being enhanced with a brand-new feature called Reddit Answers, where in addition to these personal testimonies, users can ask a chatbot to show them the same data in a new and interesting way.
How it Works
Basically, users will have the ability to click on a button, and navigate to a chat prompt to get these Reddit answers, just like they would with ChatGPT or Perplexity, for example.
“Redditors can ask questions and receive answers using a new, AI-powered conversational interface,” spokespersons write. “Once a question is asked, curated summaries of relevant conversations and details across Reddit will appear, including links to related communities and posts. Redditors can easily read relevant snippets and answers inline from real redditors, jump into the full conversations, and go deeper in their search with their own or suggested follow-up questions.
Just Reddit
In addition to this functionality, one of the most important points about Reddit Answers is that it doesn’t source information from the entire Internet.
Most AI chatbots out there are taking in information wherever they can find it across the global network, in any corner of the web. At least, that seems to be the default.
Reddit Answers, on the other hand, only accesses Reddit’s own information, which means that the answers are going to be branded and curated, according to what people say on the platform, not just generic Internet responses.
Reddit and Data Licensing
In related strategy. Reddit also has reported business relationships with both OpenAI and Google, selling its proprietary data to these companies for training purposes. A subreddit addresses this news.
All of these moves seem like good ways to underscore the value of the content that is brought to Reddit, mostly by its users. The company has found a way to harness public opinion in a way that’s consistent, stable and credible. And other companies are taking notice.
That, in turn, has translated into a successful IPO for Reddit earlier this year, and a significant increase in share price to date.
“The company is working to prove to shareholders that the platform has potential beyond just ad revenue,” writes Bernard Zambonin at Nasdaq.com. “To this end, Reddit has invested heavily in new initiatives aimed at improving ad performance and exploring additional revenue streams. Over the past twelve months, Reddit spent $858.1 million on research and development (R&D) — accounting for about 76% of the company’s total revenues in the same period. Part of this strategy includes data licensing, where companies can pay for access to real-time data from anonymous, public conversations on Reddit via APIs (application programming interfaces).”
I think this is a great example of using a brand and its resources in a proactive way. It seems like there are too many generic chatbots in play – engines that don’t really have a particular focus in terms of where they get their information. Reddit Answers brings the same carefully curated experience of the original Reddit boards to a chat functionality. And I think that’s really going to resonate with users.
