Reddit rolls out AI powered 'Reddit Answers' for smarter Q&A

Reddit has introduced 'Reddit Answers,' an AI-driven feature that provides conversational responses to user questions by summarising discussions from relevant subreddits. The tool, currently available to a limited number of users in the United States, marks Reddit's latest step in integrating artificial intelligence to enhance its platform.

“With Reddit Answers, users can ask questions and receive curated summaries of relevant conversations from across the site,” the company said in a blog post. “These summaries include links to communities and posts, enabling users to explore further through suggested follow-ups or their own questions.”

The feature is akin to Google’s AI-generated overviews, albeit focused exclusively on the platforms' ecosystem. Google, which recently signed a data-sharing deal with Reddit, has used the platform’s vast repository of human-generated insights to enhance its own generative AI tools, such as the Gemini chatbot.

The launch comes amid the platforms' efforts to capitalise on its position as a hub for human-centric insights, often shared in detailed and practical posts across its forums. These data points have made it a valuable resource for AI developers seeking to refine their models.

While the partnership with Google has driven a surge in the platforms' traffic, this new feature potentially positions the platform as a competitor in the AI search space. However, Reddit Answers is primarily tailored for the platform’s user base, which remains under 100 million globally.

Currently, Reddit Answers supports English and is accessible to select users in the U.S. The company plans to expand the feature to additional languages and regions in the future, with updates available for those who sign up via the platform.

As the platform integrates AI-driven functionality, questions remain about how this will influence its relationships with other platforms reliant on its data. For now, Reddit Answers aims to offer users a streamlined way to navigate and engage with the platform’s wealth of community-generated content.