Reddit Tests Mandatory Login as AI Search Cuts Its Traffic

Reddit is testing a requirement that visitors sign in before they can view content, a major change for a platform that has long been open to logged-out readers. CEO Steve Huffman said the company has started the trial in selected markets outside the United States.

According to Huffman, a login-based experience will help users discover communities and content more relevant to their interests. The move also follows a drop of more than one million weekly visits from search engines during October, which pushed the company to rethink how it exposes its content to non-members.

AI summaries in the crosshairs

Huffman criticised recent changes in search, particularly AI-generated summaries that answer questions directly without sending people to the original sites. In his view, these tools have not increased traffic to Reddit or other platforms.

He also described commercial benefits of mandatory sign-in: better data for ad targeting, higher engagement, and stronger protection for Reddit's database, which is a valuable source of information used to train AI systems.

No final date yet

Reddit has not set a date for rolling the requirement out to all users. Huffman said the company will study how to treat visitors arriving from external links or search results before forcing them to log in.

Other changes are under consideration. Reddit is weighing a reorganised home page that is tidier and less chaotic, making it easier to find relevant content. Huffman also hinted at a possible incognito or private browsing mode, intended to address problems tied to people repeatedly deleting and reinstalling the app.

The developments come as Reddit holds a data-licensing deal with Google worth roughly $60 million a year, under which its content is used to train AI technologies. Reports suggest the agreement could be revisited, while Huffman confirmed that discussions are ongoing.