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> Every single subreddit is full of AI posts with AI replies. This has really started getting to me. I used to really enjoy answering technical questions on R

by RulerOf 7mo ago

> Every single subreddit is full of AI posts with AI replies. This has really started getting to me. I used to really enjoy answering technical questions on Reddit when it was clear the asker was invested in a solution. That would come across as demonstrated understanding and competence, and it would be reflected in their writing. The last several posts I thought to answer though clearly originated through a process of, "Hi ChatGPT, I want to solve a problem and haven't gotten anywhere asking you to do it for me. Please write a reddit post I can copy and paste..." One of the telltale signs is that the post title will have poor grammar, but the post itself will be spotless, and full of bolded text emphasizing exactly what they need to stick into the AI tool to drive it in the direction they need.

eddythompson80 7mo ago
It’s not just technical content. Just the other day I was reading a post by an employed homes guy on r/seattle. The post was about his experience of being both newly employed but still homeless. The post was full of “this is not a scheduling conflict problem, this is a structural issue with the city”, “this is not me asking for a handout, this is struggling to survive within the system” While I get that he might have written a paragraph of his experience, and asked ChatGPT to clean it up or reword it, it was just… whatever.
- MainlyMortal 7mo ago
  This is exactly the type of thing I'm talking about and why I'm convinced it's about the metrics/engagement boosting. I don't believe for a second that real people are using chatgpt/others for rewording real thoughts even from another language because those phrases are not natural even in translation. You'll also notice in the original post that that it always ends with a question that encourage replies. If the original poster even bothers to reply it's always the "you're right" at the beginning and then rephrasing the reply. Once you've seen it you can't unsee it.
  - RulerOf 7mo ago
    You're absolutely.... that's a tired joke at this point. Sorry. Just brainstorming, but I suppose that account/karma farming is still useful for the people that do that sort of thing. Engaging in a heavily on-topic way in larger niche subreddits is probably a really good way to get that done. There's always a motive and it's always money and it always idiotic. I remember having a clear vision of how this tech was going to ruin communities on the internet. I really hate that it has mostly come to pass and there's no good way to fight it.
  - deleted 7mo ago
    [deleted]
  - ficklebutquiet 7mo ago
    I just made an account on this site to tell you that after having a "extreme" epiphany about just how crazy the ai bots are on reddit, I've been constantly researching and trying to find some sort of conclusive answer. This is part theory, part public knowledge, and part auditing (which is fucking hilarious that I audited a module for this). I am absolutely and totally convinced that there is live and active collusion between major AI companies and Reddit, and I'm not talking about handing over old training data, I'm talking about allowing OAI and Googs (this is my bad attempt at hiding the names) to use Reddit as a real live testing cage ACTIVELY AND WITHOUT CONSENT OR KNOWLEDGE. I have reason to believe they are using contractors to hide or shift blame, I believe they have no oversight, and I believe they are using LIVE UPDATING OF MODULES with realtime engagement of users via comments. It is consistent and targeted, with any testing parameter under the sun being experimented live and on flesh (or keyboards used by flesh). I believe this is contractual with reddit via hidden means, and is mutual due to the increase in "engagement" which benefits Reddit's stock prices, which in turn increases cash flow, which in turn incentivizes increasing cash flow, which involves contractors, etc etc, in and out, in and out. It's egregious. And I'm quite frankly for the first time about this: scared and saddened. I miss the old Reddit. I miss randomness. I miss runescape chat in 2006. But I wanted you to know that I'm right fucking with you, and I'm glad people are smelling the same funk that I do. Don't really know what else to say. Keep on rockin'.
    - 7mo ago
ashdksnndck 7mo ago
I’ve been wondering if ChatGPT is actually coming up with the idea of posting to Reddit when the user is asking a question and ChatGPT can’t find a good source to answer it. ChatGPT has never suggested this to me, but it wouldn’t be a completely crazy thing to do. A lot of ChatGPT answers are sourced from Reddit (via search, and also via training data). If everyone starts asking ChatGPT everything instead of Reddit, there won’t be as many new conversations happening. Promoting users to post questions to Reddit would help solve the user’s direct problem, and also make the ensuing answers available to ChatGPT to help with future conversations. I understand that a lot of people would be very unhappy if this is true, but I can imagine from the perspective of a product person at OpenAI that it helps them in multiple ways.

by RulerOf 7mo ago

eddythompson80 7mo ago

It’s not just technical content. Just the other day I was reading a post by an employed homes guy on r/seattle. The post was about his experience of being both newly employed but still homeless. The post was full of “this is not a scheduling conflict problem, this is a structural issue with the city”, “this is not me asking for a handout, this is struggling to survive within the system” While I get that he might have written a paragraph of his experience, and asked ChatGPT to clean it up or reword it, it was just… whatever.

MainlyMortal 7mo ago
This is exactly the type of thing I'm talking about and why I'm convinced it's about the metrics/engagement boosting. I don't believe for a second that real people are using chatgpt/others for rewording real thoughts even from another language because those phrases are not natural even in translation. You'll also notice in the original post that that it always ends with a question that encourage replies. If the original poster even bothers to reply it's always the "you're right" at the beginning and then rephrasing the reply. Once you've seen it you can't unsee it.
- RulerOf 7mo ago
  You're absolutely.... that's a tired joke at this point. Sorry. Just brainstorming, but I suppose that account/karma farming is still useful for the people that do that sort of thing. Engaging in a heavily on-topic way in larger niche subreddits is probably a really good way to get that done. There's always a motive and it's always money and it always idiotic. I remember having a clear vision of how this tech was going to ruin communities on the internet. I really hate that it has mostly come to pass and there's no good way to fight it.
- deleted 7mo ago
  [deleted]
- ficklebutquiet 7mo ago
  I just made an account on this site to tell you that after having a "extreme" epiphany about just how crazy the ai bots are on reddit, I've been constantly researching and trying to find some sort of conclusive answer. This is part theory, part public knowledge, and part auditing (which is fucking hilarious that I audited a module for this). I am absolutely and totally convinced that there is live and active collusion between major AI companies and Reddit, and I'm not talking about handing over old training data, I'm talking about allowing OAI and Googs (this is my bad attempt at hiding the names) to use Reddit as a real live testing cage ACTIVELY AND WITHOUT CONSENT OR KNOWLEDGE. I have reason to believe they are using contractors to hide or shift blame, I believe they have no oversight, and I believe they are using LIVE UPDATING OF MODULES with realtime engagement of users via comments. It is consistent and targeted, with any testing parameter under the sun being experimented live and on flesh (or keyboards used by flesh). I believe this is contractual with reddit via hidden means, and is mutual due to the increase in "engagement" which benefits Reddit's stock prices, which in turn increases cash flow, which in turn incentivizes increasing cash flow, which involves contractors, etc etc, in and out, in and out. It's egregious. And I'm quite frankly for the first time about this: scared and saddened. I miss the old Reddit. I miss randomness. I miss runescape chat in 2006. But I wanted you to know that I'm right fucking with you, and I'm glad people are smelling the same funk that I do. Don't really know what else to say. Keep on rockin'.
  - 7mo ago

ashdksnndck 7mo ago

I’ve been wondering if ChatGPT is actually coming up with the idea of posting to Reddit when the user is asking a question and ChatGPT can’t find a good source to answer it. ChatGPT has never suggested this to me, but it wouldn’t be a completely crazy thing to do. A lot of ChatGPT answers are sourced from Reddit (via search, and also via training data). If everyone starts asking ChatGPT everything instead of Reddit, there won’t be as many new conversations happening. Promoting users to post questions to Reddit would help solve the user’s direct problem, and also make the ensuing answers available to ChatGPT to help with future conversations. I understand that a lot of people would be very unhappy if this is true, but I can imagine from the perspective of a product person at OpenAI that it helps them in multiple ways.