Reddit Founder Says Building Social Media Apps Is 'Not Cool Anymore'

Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit, believes the era of building social media applications is over as so much of the internet has been compromised. He anticipates a new platform akin to group chat to replace user-generated content (UGC). Ohanian supports the Dead Internet Theory which suggests much of online activity is produced by bots empowered by large language models.

With these advancements, the early internet built for humans is giving way to platforms catering to these agents. Reddit profited from this shift by licensing its user-generated conversations to businesses like Google and OpenAI for AI training. However, the technology has hurt Reddit's business as Google's AI-driven search reduces referral traffic, causing a 29% dip in the platform's shares.

Ohanian is concerned about the commercialization leading to misinformation, stating the internet has become too valuable to manipulate. To combat this, Reddit plans to require user sign-ins to curb third-party scraping and maintain user engagement. While Ohanian isn't sure if this measure is effective, he emphasizes the need for authentic human presence on the internet, without seeming invasive.

Despite his caution, Ohanian remains optimistic about AI's potential for medical breakthroughs and improving various aspects of life.