Reddit has recently announced on their blog that companies will have to pay for access to its application programming interface (API). This is due to the fact that the company recognizes how valuable its data can be in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) race. This move from Reddit will place restrictions and set a higher fee for third parties requiring additional capabilities, higher usage limits, and broader usage rights.
OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google are among the AI companies that have been using Reddit’s API to train their large language models such as ChatGPT. However, a Reddit spokesperson mentioned how the company wants to create a more sustainable, healthy ecosystem around data while expanding globally. Steve Huffman, cofounder and CEO of Reddit, emphasizes the significance of giving back to the platform, as Reddit’s data is continuously new and valuable for models.
Huffman also stated that conversations on Reddit can get very personal, and companies should not be allowed to just freely use this data without giving back to the users. The spokesperson also mentioned that the API can still be accessed on their developers platform, yet will have a fee for commercial use. Developers who build applications to help people with using Reddit and researchers who use the data for study or non-commercial uses will be exempt from having to pay a fee.
About Steve Huffman
Steve Huffman is a renowned co-founder and CEO of Reddit. He has been a founding engineer of the social news website, since it was founded in 2005. He also created Hipmunk in 2010, which is a travel fare aggregator before returning to Reddit as CEO in 2015. Huffman is an advocate for the use of the patient capital and believes that the right investment can bring a positive outcome and sustainability to their communities. His dedication to Reddit is reinforced by his latest move, to ensure the company’s data is returned to its users.
About Reddit
Reddit is an American social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website. It is a place for a wide range of conversations, ranging from entertainment to politics to technology. Reddit has been very successful since its launch in 2005, currently having over 394 million monthly active users. It has been the frontrunner for open conversations and the bearer of the truth for many, with its slogan being “the front page of the internet”. It is currently striving to provide its users a sustainable ecosystem around data.
