Reddit pushes Google talks to turn search users into active community members

Reddit Inc. is in early-stage negotiations with Alphabet Inc.’s Google to expand its existing content-sharing agreement, according to Bloomberg. The discussions aim to go beyond standard data licensing and develop partnerships that would both drive more traffic to Reddit and provide Google with content to train its generative AI models.

The platform is pushing for a framework that encourages the search giant's users to not only browse the platform forums but also participate in them. The idea is to convert passive search traffic into active community members, creating more valuable user-generated content, the report noted.

The talks follow the companies’ initial deal, signed more than 18 months ago, which was valued at $60 million annually. That agreement gave the company access to the platform’s large archive of real-time conversations to enhance both search results and AI training.

The proposed arrangement could involve dynamic pricing. Under this model, the platform’s payouts would increase depending on how central its content is in shaping AI-generated answers, potentially boosting revenue as its data becomes more important for tools such as Google’s AI Overviews.

At the same time, the platform is holding similar discussions with OpenAI about expanding access to its forums for AI model training.