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Published 17:19 IST, December 10th 2024

Reddit Launches AI-Powered Search As Alternative To Google Search

Reddit Answers will be initially available only in English and for limited users in the US, before expanding to other languages and locations.

Reported by: Tech Desk
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Reddit has launched Reddit Answers. | Image: Reddit

Reddit has announced that it is testing an AI-powered feature called Reddit Answers that scours posts on the social media platform to answer users' queries, it said on Monday. The new tool will allow the company to maximise restrictions on Google Search's crawling to offer Reddit's content as part of the answers to related queries.

The Reddit Answers feature would make it easier for users to find information posted on the platform while helping Reddit compete better with search engine rivals and AI startups such as ChatGPT-maker OpenAI and Perplexity that source information from across the web. It is also a part of Reddit's crackdown on search engines that often use data posted by Reddit users to offer AI-generated answers.

"Once a question is asked, curated summaries of relevant conversations and details across Reddit will appear, including links to related communities and posts," the company said in a blog post. "Redditors can easily read relevant snippets and answers inline from real redditors, jump into the full conversations, and go deeper in their search with their own or suggested follow-up questions."

The Reddit app and its web version will show a big box where users can enter their query or choose from the suggestions to initiate a search. The platform's AI will find the relevant information from the platform to offer answers, the company announced.

Reddit Answers will be initially available only in English and for limited users in the US, before expanding to other languages and locations. According to The Verge, citing Reddit's vice president of product, Serkan Piantino, Reddit Answers will be first available to iOS and web users, while its Android counterpart is currently in the works.

In the third quarter ended September 30, the company's daily active unique visitors increased 47 per cent from a year ago to 97.2 million and its global average revenue per user (ARPU) increased 14 per cent from a year ago to $3.58.

Written with inputs from Reuters

Updated 17:19 IST, December 10th 2024