Reddit to Verify Human Users, Combat AI Bots

Reddit Implements Human Verification to Combat AI Bots

Reddit is taking steps to ensure its users are human. This follows a recent controversy involving AI bots influencing user opinions.

Researchers from the University of Zurich conducted an experiment using AI bot profiles on Reddit. The study, reported by 404 Media, found these bots were significantly more effective at persuading users on divisive topics than real people.

“Notably, all our treatments surpass human performance substantially, achieving persuasive rates between three and six times higher than the human baseline.”

This unauthorized experiment sparked outrage among Reddit users who felt manipulated. In response, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman announced upcoming changes in a community update.

Maintaining Humanity and Anonymity

Reddit plans to introduce human verification measures. These measures will rely on third-party services to confirm users are human, and in some cases, adults, without revealing their identities.

“To keep Reddit human and to meet evolving regulatory requirements, we are going to need a little more information. Specifically, we will need to know whether you are a human, and in some locations, if you are an adult. But we never want to know your name or who you are. We will work with various third-party services that can provide us with the essential information and nothing else.”

While the specific verification methods are yet to be revealed, they are likely to resemble those used by platforms like LinkedIn and YouTube. Reddit emphasizes its commitment to preserving user anonymity.

“No solution is perfect - including the status quo - but we will do our best to preserve both the humanness and anonymity of Reddit. We will share more as we go.”

Preserving "Old Reddit"

In other news, Huffman also confirmed Reddit's continued support for "old Reddit," the original version of the platform. This older interface will remain accessible for the foreseeable future.

Users can experience a nostalgic trip to the internet's past by visiting old Reddit.