Photo: Voicebot.ai
OpenAI has secured a deal with Reddit for access to real-time content through their data API. This means discussions from Reddit can surface within ChatGPT and future OpenAI products. The financial terms haven't been disclosed, but it follows a similar arrangement Reddit made with Google earlier in 2024, reportedly worth US$60 million (around CA$82 million).
The partnership benefits both sides. OpenAI gains access to a massive archive of ongoing conversations, potentially improving the quality and relevance of responses in ChatGPT. Reddit, in turn, can leverage OpenAI's large language models to develop new AI-powered features for its users and moderators. OpenAI will also become a Reddit advertising partner.
However, Reddit's user base has a history of pushing back against executive decisions. In June 2023, over 7,000 subreddits went dark in protest of API pricing changes. Recently, a partnership between OpenAI and Stack Overflow resulted in user suspensions after attempting to delete posts.
While the official announcement doesn't mention training data, it differs from the Google deal where Reddit explicitly offered "more efficient ways to train models." Notably, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is a Reddit shareholder, but the company emphasizes the partnership was led independently and approved by its Board of Directors.
This seemingly positive collaboration has potential friction points. Reddit previously threatened to block Google's web crawlers, and OpenAI has taken action against a subreddit using the ChatGPT logo. User reaction to this partnership remains to be seen.