Reddit to Experiment with AI-Enhanced Search Result Pages

Reddit Users to Experience AI-Generated Summaries in Search Results

Reddit is set to enhance user experience by introducing AI-generated summaries at the top of its search results. During an earnings call on Tuesday, Reddit co-founder and CEO Steve Huffman shared that the company aims to test AI-powered search result pages that "summarize and recommend content." This innovative feature will allow users to "dive deeper" into topics and explore new Reddit communities.

Huffman elaborated that Reddit will leverage a mix of first-party and third-party technology to support this initiative, with experiments expected to begin later this year.

For those who have been monitoring Reddit's recent developments, the introduction of an AI-driven search feature is not surprising. In May, Reddit announced a strategic partnership with OpenAI, enabling the use of OpenAI's large language models to create AI tools for Reddit users and moderators. This agreement also permits OpenAI to utilize data from the social platform. Additionally, earlier this year, Reddit entered into a similar agreement with Google.

AI discussions featured prominently in the recent earnings call. Huffman highlighted the success of Reddit’s AI-driven language translation feature, noting that France has emerged as one of its "fastest growing countries." The company is also expanding the translation capabilities to include German, Spanish, and Portuguese.

This earnings report marks the second time Reddit has shared its quarterly results since going public. For the second quarter, Reddit announced 342.3 million weekly active users, reflecting a remarkable 57% growth compared to the previous year. Revenue climbed to $281.2 million, surpassing Wall Street's expectations of $253.8 million.

Updated 8/6/24 at 8:10 pm ET: The quote has been corrected to reflect that Steve Huffman, Reddit’s CEO, was the speaker, not Drew Vollero (CFO).