If you’ve been searching for things on Google recently you might have noticed a trend of Reddit posts appearing higher up the search ranks.
You aren’t hallucinating and your Reddit doom scroll isn’t secretly impacting your Google Search, these two companies are now in cahoots.
Well, they’ve signed a deal that impacts what results you see on Google Search.
This deal isn’t new by any means, in fact, both companies disclosed the deal in February this year. But only now it seems the partnership is taking full effect on our Google Searches.
The deal pretty much states that Reddit content will be displayed across Google products AKA Search.
The blogging company said, “This enhanced collaboration provides Google with an efficient and structured way to access the vast corpus of existing content on Reddit and enables Google to use the Reddit Data API to improve its products and services – including supporting new ways to display Reddit content and providing more efficient ways to train models.”
Train models equals training AI models, FYI.
And this little tidbit which says, “Sorry guys, you’re going to be plagued with Reddit post results until the end of time”.
Our work with Google will make it easier for people to find, discover, and engage in content and communities on Reddit that are most relevant to them.
But Google isn’t the only tech giant Reddit is in bed with.
Only recently, OpenAI and Reddit struck a deal where the AI giant will train its system on all of Reddit’s posts. We don’t know for how much, but a few months ago we reported on Reddit signing a deal with an unnamed AI company for US$60 million, it’s probably a coincidence.
When you type Google and Reddit deal, you see a Reddit post before an actual news site. I’m not even joking.
Last week, when Google AI Overview told people to put glue on their pizza, due to an 11 year old Reddit thread, I may have forgotten about this deal but it all makes sense.
Anyway, your Google Searches are going to be filled with Reddit posts, let’s hope they don’t all suggest silly things.
Image: Universal Pictures/Gizmodo Australia