OpenAI has struck a deal with Reddit to train AI on the site’s content

OpenAI has recently secured an agreement to tap into real-time content via Reddit’s Data API. This exciting development means that posts and discussions from the popular site can now be utilized in ChatGPT and other upcoming products. This agreement is comparable to the one Reddit reached with Google earlier this year, which was reportedly valued at $60 million.

The deal will enable Reddit to introduce advanced AI-powered features for users and moderators, while also leveraging OpenAI’s extensive language models to develop applications. OpenAI will also collaborate as an advertising partner with Reddit.

Reddit users have expressed their discontent with the management of the platform in the past, and it remains uncertain how they will respond to this announcement. In June 2023, over 7,000 subreddits took a stand and went offline to voice their opposition against the modifications made to Reddit’s API pricing. Recently, there were reports of certain users facing restrictions when they tried to remove their posts, following the announcement of a collaboration between OpenAI and Stack Overflow.

The blog post announcing the agreement did not provide any details about the financial terms, and both companies remained silent on the specific contents of the training data. Interestingly, the blog highlights the fact that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman holds a significant stake in Reddit. It’s worth noting that this collaboration was actually initiated by OpenAI’s COO and received approval from an independent board of directors.

In light of this news, some redditors are humorously suggesting that the presence of Reddit in OpenAI data might result in a 4-year delay in the development of AGI. This is because engineers will need to address any undesirable traits that may have been influenced by discussions containing incel, sexist, racist, and lascivious content.