OpenAI and Reddit unite

Reddit and OpenAI have announced that they’re forming a new partnership that will improve the experience for users on both platforms.

What will OpenAI get from the partnership?

OpenAI will get access to Reddits vast catalog of “real-time, structured, and unique” conversational data, which includes over 1B posts and 16B comments, to train and refine its GPT models.

Access to this amount of conversational data will improve ChatGPT’s ability to better understand context and offer users more nuanced, relevant, and accurate responses.

What will Reddit get from the partnership?

Reddit will get OpenAI as an advertising partner, and it will get access to its AI models, like ChatGPT, to develop new AI-powered features–such as enhanced moderation tools and personalized recommendations–for its users and moderators to enhance the user experience.

But it’s not only about enhancing the user experience, is it?

As part of its growth plan, Reddit has made several licensing agreements to allow tech firms to use its goldmine of data to train their AI models: They most recently signed a $200M deal with Google, and in its first earnings report as a public company, declared a 450% year-on-year increase in non-ad revenue, which is mainly down to these types of licensing agreements.

“As more content on the internet is written by machines, there’s an increasing premium on content that comes from real people…and we have nearly two decades of authentic conversation.” – Reddit CEO, Steve Huffman

Concerns about the partnership

While both sides have expressed a mutual enthusiasm for the partnership, with OpenAI COO Brad Lightcap highlighting OpenAI’s potential to “enrich the Reddit experience with AI-powered features” and Reddit CEO Steve Huffman sharing that the integration of Reddit content into ChatGPT “upholds our belief in a connected internet”, there are a few concerns.

Although OpenAI has signed similar agreements with content providers–such as news publications and stock media companies–this one feels slightly insidious as OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman, has an 8.7% stake in Reddit, making him the third largest shareholder and is an ex-member of the board.

To combat scrutiny over this, OpenAI has proactively released a press statement that confirms that while Sam Altman is a Reddit shareholder, the partnership between Reddit and OpenAI “was led by OpenAI’s COO” and “approved by the independent board of directors.”

Reddit could also face some scrutiny and objection from its users, who have previously expressed concerns about data privacy, control, and how Reddit is monetizing their data.

To alleviate these concerns, both companies have established that their partnership won’t affect Reddit’s existing data policies and that commercial use of its data will require approval.

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