Reddit Inc. has introduced a new AI-based chatbot feature called Reddit Answers, aimed at improving the search experience for its users. The social media company is focused on keeping users engaged by simplifying access to over 1 billion posts and discussions on its platform.
Reddit Answers will assist users in finding information, making recommendations, and surfacing relevant discussions from forums. This initiative is part of a broader investment by Reddit to enhance its search capabilities to compete with traditional search engines and AI companies that summarize web content.
Previously, users often turned to third-party search engines like Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL), appending 'Reddit' to their queries to locate posts on the site. Notably, 'Reddit' ranked as the sixth most searched term on Google in the United States this year.
To counter external AI tools that summarize its content without redirecting traffic to Reddit, the company has begun blocking access to its forums for certain search engines unless commercial agreements are established. Reddit has already secured licensing deals with Google and OpenAI, allowing summaries of its posts to appear in search results and ChatGPT, with agreements valued at $203 million over the next two to three years.
The new chatbot, powered by AI models from Reddit, OpenAI, and Google, reflects a growing trend among social networks to include chatbots to maintain user engagement. For instance, Meta Platforms Inc. has integrated a Meta AI chatbot on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, boasting 600 million monthly users.
Reddit Answers is initially being launched for a select group of users in the U.S. on web and iOS platforms, with plans to expand availability to more languages and locations in the future. This conversational tool aims to provide users with quick and curated summaries of related content, offering a more direct and efficient way to navigate the vast array of discussions on Reddit.