Reddit, Google, & AI: A Surprising Partnership
How Reddit’s online conversations are shaping the future of Google’s AI.
By Nora Belle || Senior Author of ADM
5 min read || August 07, 2024
The Curious Case of Reddit: From Forum to Fueling AI
Have you noticed Reddit popping up more frequently in your Google searches lately? It’s not just your imagination. Once a niche online community, Reddit is experiencing a surge in popularity, becoming a major player in the realm of online information. But this rise in prominence goes beyond organic growth. This article explores the curious case of Reddit, its close relationship with Google, and its surprising role in fueling the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The Google-Reddit Partnership: A Match Made in Search
It’s undeniable: traffic to Reddit from Google searches has skyrocketed. According to Similarweb, visits originating from Google have jumped a staggering 50% since September 2023. This June, a whopping 60% of Reddit’s overall traffic came from Google, with only a third accessing the platform directly.
This surge can be partly attributed to user behavior. Tired of wading through ad-laden articles, many web searchers now add “reddit” to their queries, hoping to find a more authentic and user-driven answer. This tactic also helps them land directly on a relevant subreddit, a specific community within Reddit focused on a particular topic.
But there’s more to the story than just savvy search strategies. In February 2024, Google and Reddit announced an “expanded partnership.” Google lauded Reddit’s “unique role on the open internet” and its vast collection of “authentic, human conversations and experiences.” This partnership wasn’t just about warm words. Shortly after, Reddit posts started appearing higher in search results, sometimes even surpassing established and reliable websites. Additionally, Reddit took the unprecedented step of blocking other search engines from crawling its site, leaving Google as the exclusive partner. These actions make it clear that Google and Reddit are now more intertwined than ever.
The AI Factor: Reddit as a Data Powerhouse
So why all the sudden love affair between Google and Reddit? The answer might lie in the exciting world of AI. The goal of AI chatbots like Google’s Gemini is to mimic human conversation as closely as possible. To achieve this level of sophistication, these AI models require massive amounts of training data – recordings of real people talking.
Here’s where Reddit comes in. Unlike social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, which are dominated by individual profiles, Reddit thrives on community-driven conversations. These ongoing discussions provide a goldmine of real-world dialogue, perfect for feeding AI models.
The Deal with the Data: Motives and Benefits
It’s no secret that Google, like most tech giants, operates with a mix of user benefit and self-interest in mind. While Google claims its algorithm changes benefit users and websites, it’s clear that pushing traffic towards Reddit also strengthens their own AI development. In February, reports confirmed Google’s $60 million investment to train.
