Google cut a deal with Reddit for AI training data – The Verge

The collaboration will give Google access to Reddits data API, which delivers real-time content from Reddits platform. This will provide Google with an efficient and structured way to access the vast corpus of existing content on Reddit, while also allowing the company to display content from Reddit in new ways across its products.

When Reddit CEO Steve Huffman spoke to The Verge last year about Reddits API changes and the subsequent protests, he said, The API usage is about covering costs and data licensing is a new potential business for us, suggesting Reddit may seek out similar revenue-generating arrangements in the future.

The partnership will give Reddit access to Vertex AI as well, Googles AI-powered service thats supposed to help companies improve their search results. Reddit says the change doesnt affect the companys data API terms, which prevent developers or companies from accessing it for commercial purposes without approval.

Despite this deal, Google and Reddit havent always seen eye to eye. Reddit previously threatened to block Google from crawling its site over concerns that companies would use its data for free to train AI models. Reddit is also poised to announce its initial public offering within the coming weeks, and its likely making this change as part of its effort to boost its valuation, which sat at more than $10 billion in 2021.

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Google cut a deal with Reddit for AI training data - The Verge