Google Spends $60 Million to Purchase Reddit Data for AI Model Training
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Reddit recently announced a $60 million partnership with an undisclosed company to allow access to Reddit user content for AI model training. It was later revealed that the mysterious company is Google.
Under the contract, Google will pay Reddit $60 million annually to obtain data for AI model training. Reddit co-founder and CEO Steve Huffman stated that Reddit, as one of the largest sources of real human experience data on the internet, possesses a unique and vast archive of real-time human conversations, providing valuable resources for search, AI training, and research. This deal has drawn attention during Reddit's first public offering, indicating that Reddit is seeking new revenue sources. AI model developers are urgently searching for legitimate training data, and social media platforms have become a popular resource. Companies like Google are acquiring social media data through large-scale agreements, accelerating the pace of AI development. Meanwhile, Reddit's shareholder Sam Altman, as the third-largest shareholder and CEO of OpenAI, has sparked discussions about his importance in both Reddit and the AI field.
Additionally, the absence of Reddit's co-founder Alexis Ohanian in the IPO plans has caused controversy. Huffman and Ohanian were once college roommates and co-founded Reddit, but they diverged over handling controversial content on the platform, leading to their separation.
After Ohanian left the board, Reddit gradually became dominated by Huffman and actively pursued new monetization models. Overall, Reddit's collaboration with Google will provide new opportunities for AI development and data resource utilization, showcasing the growing importance of social media platforms in the AI era.