Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Reddit just launched Reddit Answers, which answers user questions with an AI-powered summary of the relevant information on the platform.
- The summaries include links to related communities and posts.
- The feature is only currently available to a limited number of US users.
It was only a matter of time before Reddit introduced an AI element. Predictable as it might have been, the new feature being launched by the platform today looks to take on Google at its own game. Reddit Answers is an AI-powered conversational interface that will take a plain-language question from the user and return a summary of the most relevant information from the forums.
The test version of Reddit Answers was announced in a blog post on Monday morning. In the same manner as Google’s AI Overviews, Reddit Answers goes beyond a list of search results and provides a zero-click response based on references to the topic in the thousands of Reddit communities.
The result includes links to the posts and comments used to formulate the summary so users can easily delve deeper into how the answer was formulated if they so choose. This makes is another way to go down Reddit rabbit holes and find new communities that are interested in the same conversions.
Reddit plans to expand the feature to more regions and languages.
Reddit struck a deal with OpenAI back in May of this year, allowing the ChatGPT owner to train off Reddit’s extensive Data API. One of the things that Reddit got in return was the option to use OpenAI’s models to develop its own tools. It’s possible that this has been a catalyst for the introduction of Reddit Answers, but this is speculation on our part.
If you’re interested in being kept informed on developments and when Reddit Answers might be available where you are, you can request updates here.
