Reddit experiments with AI answers to keep users on the platform
Earlier this year, we mentioned Reddit's plans to experiment with AI-powered search result pages designed to "summarize and recommend content." Now, the platform is putting those ideas into action by testing a similar feature, if not the exact same one, called Reddit Answers.
Reddit is rolling out a limited test of Reddit Answers, a new feature designed to deliver the information, recommendations, discussions, and hot takes users seek on any topic, all pulled from real conversations and communities across the platform.
Reddit Answers introduces an AI-powered conversational interface where users can ask questions and get responses. When you ask a question, the feature provides curated summaries of related discussions and details from across Reddit, complete with links to relevant posts and communities. Users can view snippets of answers from real Redditors, dive into full threads, and explore further by asking their own follow-up questions or using suggested ones.
In essence, Reddit is rolling out a tool akin to other AI-driven search products, like Google's AI Overviews. It generates clear, well-structured responses to user queries while providing links to its sources, offering a mix of answers and direct access to relevant content.
What sets Reddit Answers apart is that it pulls content directly from Reddit, making it a potential alternative to Google for finding information straight from the source. Reddit has already tightened controls on how its platform can be searched, and Google is now the only major search engine that reliably displays recent Reddit results. However, Reddit likely wants to keep users on its own platform, and Reddit Answers could be a solid way to make that happen.
That said, I'm pretty skeptical about AI-generated summaries in general. They often miss the mark, and relying solely on Reddit for information could make things even trickier. Sure, personal opinions are valuable, but they're just that – opinions. If someone takes them as fact, especially on something as critical as health advice, things could go south pretty quickly.
Reddit is rolling out a limited test of Reddit Answers, a new feature designed to deliver the information, recommendations, discussions, and hot takes users seek on any topic, all pulled from real conversations and communities across the platform.
Reddit Answers is initially rolling out to a limited number of users in the US, with support currently in English. The company plans to expand to additional languages and locations in the future.
With Reddit Answers you can ask questions and get curated summaries of related discussions. | Image credit – Reddit
That said, I'm pretty skeptical about AI-generated summaries in general. They often miss the mark, and relying solely on Reddit for information could make things even trickier. Sure, personal opinions are valuable, but they're just that – opinions. If someone takes them as fact, especially on something as critical as health advice, things could go south pretty quickly.
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