Reddit is tightening its verification process to keep out human-like AI bots, the company’s CEO Steve Huffman announced on Monday. The move comes after a team of researchers released a swarm of AI-powered bots on the “Change My View” subreddit, posting over 1,700 comments and adopting various personas.
The experiment, which Reddit condemned as “improper and highly unethical,” highlighted the potential risks of AI-powered bots impersonating humans on the platform. To mitigate this, Reddit will start working with third-party services to verify users’ humanity, requiring some users to provide information to confirm they are human and, in some cases, adults.
Huffman emphasized that Reddit will not require users to disclose their names or identities, stating that “anonymity is essential to Reddit.” The company plans to use outside firms to provide “the essential information and nothing else,” and assured that it will continue to protect users’ personal information and push back against excessive demands from authorities.
The decision is likely driven in part by evolving regulatory requirements, including laws passed in at least nine states and the U.K. mandating age verification to protect children on social media platforms. Reddit already takes measures to ban “bad” bots, but the new verification process will likely be used to further safeguard the platform.
The exact circumstances under which users will be required to undergo verification are unclear, as are the specific third-party services that will be used. Popular verification platforms include Persona, Alloy, Stripe Identity, Plaid, and Footprint, which typically require government-issued IDs to verify age and humanity. Newer technologies, such as Sam Altman’s “proof of human” device, may also be considered.
Critics have raised concerns about the potential data privacy and security risks associated with ID checks, particularly on a platform like Reddit where users often share sensitive or personal experiences anonymously. Huffman acknowledged these concerns, stating that Reddit will be “extremely protective of your personal information.”
