Reddit's set to rake in $60M per year in a deal with an unnamed AI company to train future models on its 20 years' worth of user generated content

SoftwareAIReddit’s set to rake in $60M per year in a deal with an unnamed AI company to train future models on its 20 years' worth of user generated contentWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: JuSun via Getty Images)

Chatbot icon on the digital binary code background

If you’ve ever posted to Reddit there’s a good chance you’re helping train the next generation of AI models with your own words, pictures, and memes, because the company’s selling access to its 20 years' worth of content for a reported $60 million. I mean, chances are you’ve already been used to train AIs given that Reddit’s already featured pretty heavily in the training data for a bunch of different large language models (LLMs) and image generators, but at least nowsomeone’sgetting paid for it.

Reddit hosts almost 20 years of posted content on its servers, so whoever the AI firm is, it’s picked up a veritable bargain. OpenAI, the developers of ChatGPT, has reportedly beenentering licensing agreementswith multiple media companies and publishers, which doesn’t seem all that different from Reddit’s deal.

However, such publishers typically pay for content creators' work, or at the very least, directly employ people to make the material that OpenAI wants to use. Reddit, on the other hand, does no such thing, though the site itself is completely free to use. There’s no such thing as arepas gratuit, of course, and Reddit generates revenue through advertising and paid user features.

Assuming the deal goes ahead (and I can’t see any reason why it won’t), then I do not doubt that there will be another user backlash of some kind, similar to that seen whenReddit changed its API fees. The effects of that response disappeared over time, though, and the site is pretty much back as it was before numerous sections went dark.

Your next upgrade(Image credit: Future)Best CPU for gaming: The top chips from Intel and AMD.Best gaming motherboard: The right boards.Best graphics card: Your perfect pixel-pusher awaits.Best SSD for gaming: Get into the game ahead of the rest.

Your next upgrade

(Image credit: Future)Best CPU for gaming: The top chips from Intel and AMD.Best gaming motherboard: The right boards.Best graphics card: Your perfect pixel-pusher awaits.Best SSD for gaming: Get into the game ahead of the rest.

(Image credit: Future)

Nvidia RTX 4070 and RTX 3080 Founders Edition graphics cards

Best CPU for gaming: The top chips from Intel and AMD.Best gaming motherboard: The right boards.Best graphics card: Your perfect pixel-pusher awaits.Best SSD for gaming: Get into the game ahead of the rest.

While there will be lots of initial noise, the result will be that Reddit looks and works just as it does now. No user is going to be aware that their posts are being actively scrapped and used in model training. So this is all just a bit of fuss about nothing, yes?

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals

It might not be if you’ve ever used Reddit to show off your writing skills, pieces of art, or music. You might think that content is yours and protected under copyright laws, but it all gets very murky when it comes to training for generative AI. You do all the hard work but someone else is getting all the benefits of it, and more importantly, not acknowledging nor compensating you for it in any way.

All of this will certainly mark the start of a flood of deals between AI companies and other social media sites. I suspect the largest ones already scrape content for training and hide the details of this in the minutiae of their enormous end-user agreements. But maybe it’s time to pay a lot more attention to what and where you post your creative output, especially if you’re hoping to make a career out of it.

More about aiNvidia’s impressive AI-based computer tuneup tool G-Assist launches next month but the best bit is missingLogitech has announced an ‘intelligent streaming assistant’ in Streamlabs to tell you when your live stream sucksLatestDragonflight got WoW back on its feet, now we get to see if Blizzard can make the Worldsoul Saga runSee more latest►

More about ai

Nvidia’s impressive AI-based computer tuneup tool G-Assist launches next month but the best bit is missingLogitech has announced an ‘intelligent streaming assistant’ in Streamlabs to tell you when your live stream sucks

Nvidia’s AI assistant named Project G-Assist

Nvidia’s impressive AI-based computer tuneup tool G-Assist launches next month but the best bit is missing

A young Asian woman opening visual aids to give her audience a better understanding while holding a podcast session.

Logitech has announced an ‘intelligent streaming assistant’ in Streamlabs to tell you when your live stream sucks

LatestDragonflight got WoW back on its feet, now we get to see if Blizzard can make the Worldsoul Saga runSee more latest►

Latest

Dragonflight got WoW back on its feet, now we get to see if Blizzard can make the Worldsoul Saga run

World of Warcraft The War Within screenshots

Dragonflight got WoW back on its feet, now we get to see if Blizzard can make the Worldsoul Saga run

See more latest►

Most PopularHarrowing report alleges years of horrific abuse at Brandoville Studios, an Indonesian support studio that worked on Assassin’s Creed Shadows and The Last of Us RemakeTencent says it’s not a Chinese military company and is willing to sue the US Department of Defense if it isn’t removed from a blacklistAll Zenless Zone Zero 1.5 livestream codesAsus reveals three new Slash Travel Bags for carting around your ROG Ally—however, none of them are particularly fashion forwardToday’s Wordle answer for Friday, January 10We may not have a roadmap or balance patch just yet, but at least Path of Exile 2’s bugfix patch notes are funnyDeus Ex: Mankind Divided writer didn’t like the ending either: ‘Nothing is resolved’It seems like Square’s finally consistently taking the PC ports of Final Fantasy seriouslyLike a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii looks more like a zany RGG take on Black Flag than I dared hopeThe most important tool in Remedy’s new co-op FPS is the shower: ‘Saving water is essential’If you missed it over the holidays, this noir Half-Life 2 mod turns you into a hardboiled detective in Prohibition-era Chicago

Most Popular

Harrowing report alleges years of horrific abuse at Brandoville Studios, an Indonesian support studio that worked on Assassin’s Creed Shadows and The Last of Us Remake

Tencent says it’s not a Chinese military company and is willing to sue the US Department of Defense if it isn’t removed from a blacklist

All Zenless Zone Zero 1.5 livestream codes

Asus reveals three new Slash Travel Bags for carting around your ROG Ally—however, none of them are particularly fashion forward

Today’s Wordle answer for Friday, January 10

We may not have a roadmap or balance patch just yet, but at least Path of Exile 2’s bugfix patch notes are funny

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided writer didn’t like the ending either: ‘Nothing is resolved’

It seems like Square’s finally consistently taking the PC ports of Final Fantasy seriously

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii looks more like a zany RGG take on Black Flag than I dared hope

The most important tool in Remedy’s new co-op FPS is the shower: ‘Saving water is essential’

If you missed it over the holidays, this noir Half-Life 2 mod turns you into a hardboiled detective in Prohibition-era Chicago

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review4Ikea Utespelare desk review5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

A bunch of the best Steam Deck accessories on a blue background.

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review

Thank Goodness You’re Here review

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review

Thank Goodness You’re Here! review

2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review

Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review

3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

4Ikea Utespelare desk review

Ikea Utespelare desk review

5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals#

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals