Partnership promises improvements to ChatGPT and new features for users
OpenAI, a leading artificial intelligence company, has entered into an agreement with Reddit to use the platform's data to train its AI models. According to a post on OpenAI's website, the partnership with Reddit will give the company access to «structured and unique content» Reddit in real time, including user posts and comments. This will allow OpenAI tools and models to better understand and work with this kind of content.
Reddit content will be included in ChatGPT, OpenAI's flagship model. Additionally, the companies will collaborate to offer new AI-powered features for both Reddit users and the platform's moderators.
OpenAI will also become Reddit's advertising partner as part of this agreement. In its statement, OpenAI noted that Reddit will rely on OpenAI's artificial intelligence model platform to implement its strategic vision, and the use of language models, machine learning and AI will improve the user experience for everyone.
While OpenAI has several similar licensing agreements with content providers, what makes this partnership special is that Sam Altman, OpenAI's CEO, owns 8.7% of Reddit, making him the company's third-largest shareholder. He also previously served on Reddit's board of directors.
To address potential conflict of interest concerns, OpenAI states that while Altman remains a shareholder of Reddit, the partnership is led by OpenAI COO Brad Lightcap and approved by an independent board of directors.
Despite the potential benefits of this partnership, Reddit may face resistance from users concerned about how the company monetizes their data.
A similar example recently happened with Stack Overflow — Q&A forum for software developers, which also signed an agreement with OpenAI to provide data for training models. In protest, some users deleted their most popular replies. However, Stack Overflow restored the deleted content and banned those users, citing violations of their terms of service.
Reddit has already faced discontent among parts of the community over attempts to provide more control over personal data. Blockchain technology startup Vana was trying to launch a «digital autonomous organization» (DAO), which would allow Reddit users to pool their data and collectively decide how that data would be used or sold. However, Reddit blocked the subreddit dedicated to discussing the DAO, accusing Vana of «exploiting» control over the export of user data.
While the agreement with OpenAI opens up new opportunities for Reddit, the company will have to carefully explain the benefits of this partnership and ensure transparency regarding the use of user data to avoid negative reactions from part of the community.