Reddit Doubles Down on AI Search Ambitions

Social media giant Reddit made waves during its Q4 earnings call by revealing bold plans to reinvent online search through artificial intelligence. Rather than just improving existing features, the company aims to fundamentally reshape how people find answers online.

From Forum to Answer Engine

CEO Steve Huffman positioned Reddit as uniquely suited for complex queries that require multiple perspectives. "Traditional search works like a navigation tool," Huffman explained, "but our AI can actually help users organize their thoughts and synthesize answers."

The numbers suggest this strategy is working. Over the past year:

• Weekly active search users grew from 60 million to 80 million
• The Reddit Answers AI feature exploded from 1 million users in early 2025 to 15 million by year's end

Breaking Down Barriers

Starting Q3 2026, Reddit will eliminate differences between logged-in and guest experiences. Through machine learning, every visitor will receive personalized recommendations - whether they've created an account or not.

The company is also testing richer multimedia responses:

• Future searches won't be limited to text answers
• Results may include relevant images, videos, and interactive content
• The goal: make finding information as natural as asking a knowledgeable friend

Monetizing Knowledge

Beyond user experience improvements, Reddit's data has become increasingly valuable:

• Content licensing deals (allowing companies to train AI models) drove 22% growth in non-advertising revenue
• "Other revenue" reached $140 million in 2025

The platform effectively turns years of community discussions into valuable training data for the AI era.

Key Points:

• Reddit sees AI-powered search as its next major growth area
• Unique advantage: handling complex queries requiring multiple viewpoints
• Removing barriers between logged-in/guest experiences starting Q3 2026
• Expanding beyond text responses with multimedia formats
• Data licensing becoming significant revenue stream