r/AskModerators • u/OrbitalColony • 6d ago
Will AI replace moderators?
Reddit's been rolling out automated AI mod features. It's clearly being trained on the data generated from 20 years of mod logs. Is Reddit about to just replace us soon? It makes me somewhat hesitant to continue growing my subreddits, when the company might just decide to hand the keys over to an LLM. Thoughts?
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u/KCJones99 6d ago edited 6d ago
Will they try? Yes. At least to use it to drastically reduce the control of moderators.
Will it work? I doubt it. AI's nowhere near up to it yet. A wasteland of chaotic subs with no rhyme/reason to how they're modded.
Will we end up with some 'hybrid' where AI handles some things and mods others? Yes, and it's already happening. What do you think 'auto-enforce' is for rules? How long before the on/off toggle for that is permanently set to 'on'?
Will that hybrid lean toward AI in control and mods just the cleanup crew? Yes. Again, already happening. Look at what they just did to automod - they overtly removed the 'control' elements straight-up. IIRC they even called them the 'control' items. When someone tells you they're taking away your control... believe them. "First they came for the new subs only..."
Will I still be moderating at that point? Hell no. If we weren't 'grandfathered' into OG automod I'd already be gone. I might do my co-mods a favor and get automod-neo set up for them first... or maybe not because much as I like -neo, it's one API change away from being non-functional.
Will they go to full AI and/or fully-crippled mods anyway? FItty-fitty, IMO. If they do reddit will go the way of MySpace , Vine or Google+... and pretty quickly. Social Media users are fickle.