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Reddit and Google strike AI content licensing deal

The deal will allow Google to train its AI services on Reddit content.

Donovan Erskine

February 22, 2024 12:30 PM

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As the world’s biggest tech companies continue to ramp up their AI efforts, a major licensing deal has reportedly been struck between Reddit and Google. It will allow Google to use content from Reddit to train its various machine learning models and power its AI tools.

The news of a deal between Reddit and Google comes from a Reuters report. According to the outlet, the move will help reddit compete against the likes of TikTok and Meta in the advertising space as it prepares to go public.

The notion of Reddit allowing Google to use its vast library of content to train AI models caused quite the stir on social media, with many expressing concern that their own stories, art, etc. will be used to empower the controversial technology.

Last year, Reddit found itself in hot water when it decided to begin charging app developers for access to its API. It led Minecraft developer Mojang to abandon its official subreddit and popular third-party app Apollo to shut down. Reddit and Google have yet to officially comment on the deal.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a journalist from Maryland. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge film fanatic and will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_