Reddit is introducing a system that requires suspected accounts to undergo “human verification” to curb the spread of AI bots. The measure will not apply across the site and will be used only when certain activity patterns raise suspicion that an account is automated.
TechCrunch reported on March 25 that Reddit detects whether an account is a bot by analysing account activity and technical indicators, and accounts that fail verification are restricted. Writing posts using AI is not prohibited, but each community can set its own rules.
Reddit plans to use third-party tools such as Apple, Google and YubiKey for account verification.
In some countries it may require a government-issued ID. Steve Huffman (스티브 허프만), Reddit's co-founder and CEO, stressed that privacy is the top priority and it will only confirm that there is a person behind an account.
The step is a response aimed at addressing problems in which AI bots on social platforms are used for political influence operations, spreading false information and manipulating ad clicks. Cloudflare said bot traffic is expected to exceed human traffic by 2027.
Chi-gyu Hwang
delight@d-today.co.kr