OpenAI has secured a deal for real-time access to Reddit’s data API, allowing it to integrate Reddit discussions into ChatGPT and other new products. This agreement mirrors a similar deal Reddit struck with Google earlier this year, reportedly valued at $60 million.
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The partnership aims to enable Reddit to introduce new AI-powered features for its users and moderators, leveraging OpenAI’s large language models to develop applications. Additionally, OpenAI will become an advertising partner on Reddit.
The reaction from Reddit users, who have previously voiced strong opinions about the platform’s management, remains uncertain. In June 2023, over 7,000 subreddits went dark in protest against changes to Reddit’s API pricing. More recently, after news of a collaboration between OpenAI and the programming forum Stack Overflow, some users were suspended for attempting to delete their posts.
Financial details of the OpenAI deal were not disclosed in the announcement, and there was no mention of training data. This is a departure from Reddit’s deal with Google, which explicitly stated that Reddit would provide Google with more efficient ways to train models. The announcement did include a disclosure noting that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is a shareholder in Reddit, but clarified that the partnership was led by OpenAI’s COO and approved by its independent Board of Directors.
“Reddit has become one of the internet’s largest open archives of authentic, relevant, and always up-to-date human conversations about anything and everything. Including it in ChatGPT upholds our belief in a connected internet, helps people find more of what they’re looking for, and helps new audiences find community on Reddit,” stated Reddit CEO Steve Huffman.
Reddit has not always been accommodating towards companies scraping its data for AI training. It has previously threatened to block Google web crawlers from accessing the site. Additionally, OpenAI reportedly informed moderators of the subreddit r/ChatGPT that they violated OpenAI’s copyright by using the ChatGPT logo as a display photo.
