Last week, researchers revealed a group of AI-powered, human-impersonating bots on the "Change My View" subreddit, alarming Redditors worldwide. The goal of the broad experiment was to analyze the persuasiveness of AI.
The bots, posing as controversial representations like an anti-Black Lives Matter advocate or survivors of abuse, released more than 1,700 comments. Since Reddit is where people share real opinions, so its brand is connected to integrity. It could do more than jeopardize Reddit's fundamental personality if that human-focused ecosystem is ruined by artificial intelligence slop or turns into a place where users can't believe they're receiving information from real humans. The company's financial future may be at risk if Reddit now sells its material to OpenAI for training.
Reddit Plans User Verification
The business objected to the university that made the "incorrect and highly unethical experiment" and rejected it. However, that experiment was just one of multiple examples of creative AI bots posing as people on Reddit for various motives, from scientific to influencing policy.
The company has gently hinted at an upcoming move to "keep Reddit human" and secure users from bot influencers, which may not be appropriate for users who visit Reddit for anonymity.
In a post on Monday, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman revealed that the site would begin collaborating with "a range of third-party services" to ensure a user's humanity. This is an essential step for a platform that traditionally needs virtually no personal details for users to develop an account.
Huffman wrote, "We will require a little more detail to keep Reddit human and to meet growing regulatory requirements." In particular, we will require knowing if you are an adult in certain places and if you are a human.
Privacy Concerns Remain Strong
In an attempt to secure children on their platforms, social media organizations have already begun imposing ID checks despite at least nine states and the United Kingdom clearing legislation asking for age verification.
A representative accepted that Reddit already obtains steps to ban "bad" bots. Still, they would not describe the conditions the company would demand for users to complete a verification process. Additionally, the spokesperson refused to offer further detail regarding the third-party services the business would employ or the type of personally identifiable detail users would be needed to provide.
Many businesses now employ verification platforms such as Stripe Identity, Persona, Alloy, Plaid, and Footprint, which usually require a government-issued ID to ensure age and humanity.
Then there is the latest speculative technology, including the eye-scanning "proof of human" device from Sam Altman's Tools for Humanity.
ID check opponents said that providing personal details on social media platforms offers security and privacy risks. This is specifically true for sites like Reddit, where users indicate experiences that they might not otherwise share if their names were displayed.
According to Huffman, Reddit seeks to reduce that risk by employing outside companies to supply "the significant detail and nothing else. " He highlighted that "we never want to recognize your name or who you are." Reddit focuses heavily on anonymity. "
The CEO claimed that Reddit "will pursue to push back against unnecessary or unreasonable demands from public or private authorities" and that the organization would stay "extremely protective of your detail."