Reddit Answers: Reddit Introduces AI-Powered Feature

On Monday, Reddit announced the rollout of a new artificial intelligence feature called Reddit Answers, designed to assist users in quickly finding answers based on community-generated posts. This feature will initially be available to a limited segment of Reddit’s U.S. user base as part of a testing phase before a broader launch.

Users can access the Reddit Answers feature via a new button on the homepage, which takes them to a dedicated page for AI-powered questions. This functionality resembles that of existing generative AI services like ChatGPT and Perplexity. However, a key distinction is that Reddit Answers sources its responses exclusively from user posts on the platform, rather than from external web content.

For example, if a user inquires about modifications for a specific BMW model, Reddit Answers will provide a bullet-point list featuring tips, summaries, and quotes from relevant Reddit discussions. Users can click on links within the answers to navigate directly to the original posts.

After six months of testing, the introduction of Reddit Answers aligns with the company’s ongoing efforts to enhance the search experience on its platform. Serkan Piantino, Reddit’s Vice President of Product, stated that the feature aims to “build a bridge to the content” rather than serve as a mere replacement for it. The goal is to encourage users to explore Reddit’s content ecosystem more instead of solely relying on AI-generated summaries.

Reddit Answers will support queries on a wide range of topics, excluding those categorized as NSFW (not safe for work). CEO Steve Huffman emphasized in an October earnings call that search represents a “focused investment” for Reddit in 2025, acknowledging its importance in helping new users navigate the platform and providing monetization opportunities.

The feature leverages Reddit’s existing search architecture and utilizes AI models from both OpenAI and Google Cloud. Reddit has established data-licensing agreements with these companies, allowing them access to the platform’s data to refine their AI models.

In recent months, Reddit has experienced significant growth in traffic, particularly from Google searches, following updates to Google’s algorithms that prioritize “authentic” content from online forums. This shift has resulted in an influx of new users, many of whom access the site without logging into an account. While overall user growth has been positive, the number of logged-out users has surpassed that of logged-in users since Q4 2023. This trend has prompted Reddit to develop more personalized features to encourage account creation among logged-out visitors.

Huffman noted that Reddit is currently the sixth most searched term on Google in the U.S., with many users specifically seeking out the platform via search engines. With the launch of Reddit Answers, the company aims to enhance user engagement on its own platform, potentially reducing reliance on Google for traffic and enticing new users to register for accounts.

In closing, Piantino emphasized AI’s potential to improve search, supporting the company’s goal of incorporating AI into its users’ experience. Currently, Reddit Answers is available in English for iOS and desktop users, with plans to expand to Android and additional languages.