Reddit is rolling out its artificial intelligence (AI) conversational chatbot to more users. Dubbed Reddit Answers, the chatbot is now available to users in India, and it can be accessed via the Reddit website, mobile web, as well as iOS and Android apps. The discussion forum-style media platform first began testing the feature in December 2024 with select users in the US. Four months later, users in other regions are finally getting access to it. Users can ask the chatbot queries, and it finds the information from Reddit posts and presents it in a conversational manner.
Reddit Answers Lets Users Ask Up to 20 Questions a Week
On Thursday, several users reported seeing a new “Answers” tab on their Reddit app. Gadgets 360 staff members were also able to access the new tab, at the bottom of the app, next to the Home button. The tabs icon looks like three water droplet-like shapes arranged in the shape of a triangle.
According to details shared by the platform in December, Reddit Answers is designed to help users find information, recommendations, discussions, and opinions on the platform. The feature is still in beta, and is currently available to all users in Australia, Canada, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sweden, the Netherlands, the UK, and the US. The tool only supports the English language.
Currently, logged-out users in these regions can ask up to 10 questions per week, while logged-in users can ask up to 20 questions per day. Additionally, Premium subscribers with access to the beta version can ask up to 100 questions every day.
Reddit Answers on Android
The Reddit Answers is a full-screen interface. The centre of the screen shows the Reddit Alien logo, followed by the name of the feature. There is a short description of the chatbot as well as suggested queries to get users started. At the bottom, users can find a text field and a send button to ask queries.
Once a user asks a query, the chatbot shows the response in a conversational manner. It also shares links to relevant comments from users on the platform. The AI chatbot also directs users to the subreddits where they can learn more about the topic. Additionally, at the bottom, Reddit Answers also shows the list of posts used to generate the response.
In our experience, Reddit Answers usually gets the response right as long as the question is straightforward, factual, and not too niche. It sometimes struggles with niche questions that might not have enough discussion on the platform. Users can share feedback by marking a response as helpful or not helpful.
For instance, when we asked the chatbot, “Who scored in Chelsea’s (football club in the English Premier League) last match?” it responded with “Chelsea’s last match saw Estevao score a goal on his birthday.” Notably, Estêvão Willian currently plays for Brazilian club Palmeiras, and will not be a Chelsea player till the next season.
In its support page, Reddit states that the AI chatbot uses in-house technology to find, synthesise, and summarise existing posts and comments across all communities on Reddit. These responses are not vetted by the company. The platform also asks users to double-check information before relying on it.
Notably, Reddit mentions that data from these conversations will be collected and used in accordance with the company’s privacy policy.
