What to know

  • Reddit's AI-powered Answers feature now has 1 million weekly active users.
  • The tool is designed for people who search Reddit through Google, not just regular community users.
  • Answers is expanding beyond the U.S. to Australia, the U.K., Canada, and India.
  • Reddit plans to integrate Answers more deeply into its main search experience in 2025.

Reddit is expanding its focus beyond its traditional community users by targeting people who use Google to search for Reddit content. The company’s new AI-powered feature, called Answers, is designed to help these users get direct responses and summaries from existing Reddit posts.

Reddit CEO Steve Huffman explained that there are two main types of users on the platform. Some people, called Scrollers, come to Reddit to join conversations and engage with communities. Others, known as Seekers, use Google to find specific answers from Reddit, often by adding "Reddit" to their search queries.

Until recently, Reddit had not built a product specifically for Seekers. The Answers feature aims to fill this gap by providing quick, AI-generated answers and summaries based on real Reddit discussions. This tool is currently in beta and can be found as a separate experience in the app’s navigation bar.

Since its launch in December, Answers has attracted 1 million weekly active users. Last month, Reddit expanded the feature to users in Australia, the U.K., Canada, and India. The company plans to integrate Answers more deeply into the platform in 2025. One likely change is adding Answers directly into Reddit’s main search box, allowing users to type full questions instead of just keywords.

Reddit’s move shows a shift in strategy to serve not only its core community but also the large number of people who rely on Google to access Reddit’s content. The company hopes that by making it easier to get answers directly on Reddit, it can attract and retain more users who are looking for information rather than just conversation.

Via: Tech Crunch