Microsoft may face challenges in integrating Reddit posts into Bing’s search results and AI training, as Reddit is pushing for payment for access.
In a recent interview, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman indicated that the platform expects Microsoft to negotiate payment for crawling its website, similar to arrangements with Google.
“Without these agreements, we don’t have any knowledge or control over how our data is utilized,” Huffman stated, highlighting the company’s decision to restrict access for organizations that have not complied with its data usage terms.
Microsoft outage impacts Bing and other AI services
Reddit Demands Compensation from Search Engines for AI Training
Recent reports indicate that Reddit has blocked search engines like Bing and DuckDuckGo from indexing its content, resulting in the omission of new Reddit posts from these platforms’ search results.
In contrast, Google maintains access to Reddit content due to a $60 million agreement that allows the tech giant to utilize Reddit’s data for its AI models.
Reddit has also partnered with OpenAI, enabling the inclusion of Reddit posts in the new SearchGPT search product.
Huffman mentioned Microsoft and AI companies Anthropic and Perplexity as examples of those currently restricted due to non-negotiation on data usage.
While Huffman acknowledged the challenges of blocking these companies, he emphasized the necessity of protecting Reddit’s data integrity, especially in light of comments from AI executives regarding public data rights.
Reddit’s concerns over AI companies using its data without financial compensation raise significant issues for the future of content accessibility online. The absence of Reddit posts from search engines highlights the evolving landscape where search companies are increasingly acting as AI entities.
