Reddit May Cut Access to Google AI
This potential move could deal a major blow to its AI training
According to a recent report by The Wall Street Journal, Reddit might soon block Google AI from accessing its content in an effort to win back web traffic. This potential move follows a massive $60 million annual contract the two companies signed in 2024, which allowed Google to train its AI models using Reddit’s data.
Reddit’s years of human conversations play a foundational role in the answers Google AI generates. With deep dives and hidden gems spanning countless fields and subjects, the platform acts as a massive, centralized ocean of human knowledge.
While Google AI enjoys huge benefits from this trove of data, the arrangement is cannibalizing Reddit’s direct ad revenue. By pulling from Reddit to answer user questions directly on the search page, Google creates a “zero-click search” environment, users get their answers without ever actually visiting the website. This lack of click-through traffic directly starves Reddit of the ad impressions it relies on to survive.
Reddit shares took a noticeable dive following the news. The situation is still actively developing, so it remains to be seen how these negotiations will play out.
Meanwhile, the Reddit community is already sharing a wide range of reactions to the news. Here is a snapshot of what people are saying on the forums below.
