Reddit recently launched a new AI-driven feature "Reddit Answers", which aims to improve the efficiency and relevance of platform searches. It is currently undergoing limited testing in the United States. This feature allows users to ask questions through an AI conversational interface and get answers from internal Reddit posts and comments, rather than external Internet sources. However, this new feature has not received positive reviews from all users, with many users believing that Reddit should prioritize improving its existing search capabilities rather than relying on AI to fill search gaps. This article will provide an in-depth analysis of Reddit Answers’ functionality, user feedback, and strategic considerations behind it.
Recently, Reddit announced the launch of its new feature "Reddit Answers", which has begun testing with limited users in the United States. Reddit hopes to make searches on the platform faster, smarter and more relevant through this AI-driven Q&A. However, many users expressed dissatisfaction with the update, arguing that the search functionality was still lacking.
"Reddit Answers" allows users to ask questions and get answers through a new AI conversational interface. The feature will provide answers based on posts and comments on the Reddit website, rather than other sources on the internet. Reddit mentioned in its blog that the new feature will be able to return a summary of related conversations and links to related communities and posts. Although users are looking forward to this feature, only a few users are currently eligible for testing, and more users are still waiting for invitations.
If users are lucky enough to gain access, the feature can be accessed at reddit.com/answers or found among other buttons on the Reddit homepage. For iOS users, the latest version of the Reddit app also includes this feature, and users can find it in the button at the bottom of the homepage. However, the release time of the Android version has not yet been announced.
Reddit's plans for AI integration were mentioned as early as this year. In February this year, Reddit reached a cooperation with Google to provide post and comment data to its AI model, and signed an agreement with OpenAI in May to integrate dit content into ChatGPT. Although Reddit says "Answers" is its own technology, it still uses models from OpenAI and Google.
Notably, Reddit became profitable for the first time in the third quarter of 2024, and AI is considered one of the main factors driving this growth. Reddit CEO Steve Huffman said on the third quarter earnings call that the search function is the focus of future development and plans to further enhance it by 2025.
However, user feedback on "Reddit Answers" has not been positive. When discussing the feature, some users said that rather than using AI to fill search gaps, it would be better to directly improve Reddit's search capabilities. Some users saw this as a ploy to cater to investors and predicted the feature could lead to irresponsible answers appearing in search results.
Reddit users assured that Answers will not replace existing search functionality and users will still be able to continue using it.
Highlight:
? The new feature "Reddit Answers" has begun testing among limited users in the United States, aiming to improve the search experience.
? This feature uses posts and comments within the Reddit platform to provide an AI-driven question and answer service.
? User response has been lackluster, with many expressing dissatisfaction with the priority given to search improvements.
All in all, the launch of Reddit Answers reflects Reddit’s active exploration of the application of AI technology and its efforts to improve user search experience. However, user feedback also revealed that Reddit still needs improvement in terms of feature prioritization and understanding of user needs. In the future, Reddit's ability to balance AI applications and user experience will be the key to its success.