Background
Last week, The Washington Post reported that Reddit, the popular online discussion platform, might sever ties with Google and implement a mandatory login system for users if it fails to secure agreements with generative AI companies to pay for its data. However, Reddit has refuted these claims, stating that no changes are being made to the platform.
Content Blocking by News Organizations
The Washington Post’s report also highlighted how more than 535 news organizations have chosen to block their content from being scraped by companies like OpenAI, which use the data to train AI language models such as ChatGPT. According to the original report, Reddit is currently in negotiations with AI companies to establish payment agreements for the use of its data. If these negotiations fail, Reddit may require users to log in to access its content. This potential change could also impact the visibility of Reddit results in Google searches.
Reddit’s Response
Reddit spokesperson Courtney Geesey-Dorr has clarified that the claims made in The Washington Post’s report are untrue. Geesey-Dorr stated, “Nothing is changing” in regards to Reddit’s relationship with Google and its user access policies.
The Impact on Google Searches
During previous protests against Reddit’s API pricing changes, several subreddits temporarily went offline. This gave users a glimpse into what Google results without Reddit content would look like. Many Reddit search results redirected users to private communities, which caused inconvenience. To avoid such results, users have resorted to adding “site:reddit.com” to their Google searches. However, implementing a mandatory login system on Reddit would disrupt this workaround.
The Purpose of API Pricing Changes
While the protests against API pricing changes primarily focused on the impact on third-party app developers, Reddit’s original announcement regarding these changes positioned them as a means to compel AI companies to pay for accessing Reddit’s data for training large language models. The consequences for app developers only became apparent later on. In a previous interview with Reddit CEO Steve Huffman, he mentioned ongoing discussions with AI companies regarding the pricing changes, but no further details were provided.
