Reddit CEO Pushes Back Against AI-Powered Search Results

Reddit’s CEO has begun airing his concerns about Google’s AI Overviews search feature.

That’s according to a report Saturday (Aug. 1) from Ars Technica, which said Steve Huffman addressed this issue in his latest letter to investors, arguing for Reddit’s function as “the antidote to an automated web” as artificial intelligence tools proliferate.

“AI compresses the internet into summaries,” he wrote. “Reddit delivers the opposite: deep discussions, passionate debates, and lived experiences. People don’t want a summary of Reddit; they want Reddit.”

Huffman added that while AI has made information more abundant, it has become more challenging to find context, personal opinion and first-hand accounts to help.

The Ars Technica report also cited comments Huffman made when Reddit released its latest earnings last week:

“What we see is, 10 blue links has driven tremendous value and growth to the broader ecosystem … from where we sit, AI Overviews has yet to make a similar level of positive impact, and I think that’s consistent across the broader landscape, right? As businesses, publishers, retailers, we’re still looking for that win-win.”

Ars Technica also points to recent reporting from The Wall Street Journal saying that Reddit was considering ending its $60 million licensing deal with Google.

The report also cited a 2025 Pew Research study which found that Google’s AI Overviews cut referrals to sites like Reddit by nearly half compared to the “10 blue links” system, but added that Google had been diverging from that arrangement before AI Overviews was in the picture.

A spokesperson for Google told Ars Technica the Pew study used a flawed methodology and skewed queryset that is not representative of Search traffic. The search giant later published a blog post which said that its “total organic click volume from Google Search to websites has been relatively stable year-over-year.”

Google in May introduced what it deemed its largest upgrade to Search in more than 25 years, a redesigned interface accepts text, images, documents, video and open browser tabs and replies with synthesized answers instead of a ranked list of links.

Meanwhile, June brought reports that Google was losing ground to other tech companies as some consumers seek to avoid AI-powered search, while other consumers are forgoing traditional search to get their answers from AI.

This is happening as AI is becoming a “mass habit” for consumers through small, repeatable everyday tasks, according to the PYMNTS Intelligence report “The AI On-Ramp: Data Shows How Everyday Tasks Build Consumer Habits.”

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