Reddit’s Secret AI Content Deal—Selling User Content?

Arisha Usman
ILLUMINATION’S MIRROR
3 min readFeb 19, 2024
Photo by Brett Jordan from Pexels

The recent news about Reddit’s groundbreaking AI partnership is exciting to read for a second but filled with curiosity and fear for Reddit users.

At a point, it feels like Reddit focused only on its growth potential when sealing the deal. Why did I say so? You will know!

What’s the news?

According to trusted sources like Reuters and Bloomberg, Reddit has struck a deal with a major AI company. It's a content licensing deal. This has created a wave of speculation and intrigue in the tech world.

Why? That’s the main point!

Because the deal value is a whopping $60 million annually, and nothing is clearly stated, not even the name of the ‘major AI company.’ You might be looking for this now to check if that AI company has a reputation for rapport. (This is what makes the Reddit user fearful and curious.)

Now, Reddit users only want to know what will happen to their data. (That’s their right!)

Capturing the feelings of the users, some big news channels post things like:
Reddit has a new AI training deal to sell user content!

This intriguing partnership has become more mysterious since Reddit is tight-lipped about deal details and AI counterparts.

If we see it from another perspective, maybe sharing that less information is a publicity stunt by Reddit to be the “most talked about” in the tech world.

However, till now, they have left us all guessing and speculating.

But one thing is clear: this partnership signifies a new frontier in the realm of artificial intelligence.

So, what exactly does this mean for Reddit and its vast community of users? Well, let’s break it down into bite-sized pieces.

Unlocking the Power of AI

The heart of this partnership is Reddit, which gives its massive collection of content to the AI company. ⁤⁤Reddit has tons of user posts and discussions, perfect for teaching AI. ⁤⁤

Imagine feeding all those conversations into AI and teaching it to understand human language better. That’s the power of this partnership. ⁤

As Reddit gives no details, I’m not sure exactly how the AI company will use Reddit’s content, but it’s definitely a game-changer. It could improve AI chatbots or make language models smarter. ⁤

It’s like giving AI a crash course in how humans talk and act online. ⁤

Privacy Concerns Loom

But with great power comes great responsibility, and there are worries about privacy. Whenever AI uses our data, we want to know that it’s safe and being used responsibly.

Reddit hasn’t been very clear about how they’ll protect users’ privacy in this partnership. While Reddit’s usual privacy rules are okay, they don’t say much about this specific deal.

Users deserve to know how their data is used, especially with AI involved.

Looking to the Future

Thinking about Reddit’s AI partnership, I’m amazed at the possibilities.

We’re on the brink of something new, where people and machines team up to do amazing things. It’s an exciting journey, and I can’t wait to see where it takes us.

As Reddit gets ready for its IPO, being open and transparent is crucial.

Users need to know that their data is safe. It’s a balance between being innovative and being responsible, and Reddit needs to get it right to keep users’ trust.

So, let’s stay tuned and see where this adventure leads us. The future is full of possibilities, and “together,” we can make it amazing.

--

--

Arisha Usman
ILLUMINATION’S MIRROR

Arisha Usman, the author, has been a writer internationally for 4+ years. She enjoys sharing research on products and tools and tips.