Reddit users will soon encounter AI-generated summaries at the top of search results. During an earnings call on Tuesday, Reddit co-founder and CEO Steve Huffman announced plans to test AI-powered search result pages to “summarize and recommend content.” This feature aims to help users “dive deeper” into content and discover new Reddit communities.
Huffman explained that Reddit will utilize a combination of first-party and third-party technology to power this feature, with the experiment set to begin later this year.
Given Reddit’s recent initiatives, an AI-powered search feature was anticipated. In May, Reddit partnered with OpenAI, allowing the company to leverage OpenAI’s large language models to develop AI-powered features for Redditors and moderators. This agreement also permits OpenAI to use Reddit’s data. Earlier this year, Reddit signed a similar deal with Google.
AI was a prominent topic during the call. Huffman highlighted the success of Reddit’s AI-powered language translation feature, noting that France is one of its “fastest growing countries.” The company is also expanding the translation feature to include German, Spanish, and Portuguese.
This earnings call was Reddit’s second since going public. For the second quarter, Reddit reported 342.3 million weekly active users, a 57% increase from the previous year. Revenue rose to $281.2 million, surpassing Wall Street estimates of $253.8 million.
