ChatGPT reduces Reddit citations dramatically

A report by PromptWatch reveals that ChatGPT has significantly reduced its citations of Reddit over a four-day period. The data shows that Reddit's share of ChatGPT citations dropped from an average of 3.83 percent to less than 1 percent within a day, and further declined to 0.52 percent by August 17, representing an 86.4 percent decrease. The sudden drop has raised questions about the cause, as it is unique to ChatGPT compared to minor declines in Google AI Overviews and AI Mode. PromptWatch notes that the decline is not linked to a recent change in ChatGPT's search process on August 8, as a similar drop occurred in September of the previous year, attributed to a Google search parameter change. Reddit has a complex relationship with AI and scraping bots, with the rise of AI leading to increased spam and promotional tactics targeting AI chatbots. Reddit previously had a lucrative deal with OpenAI, allowing the company to train its large language models using Reddit content. The potential non-renewal of a similar deal with Google led to a drop in Reddit's stock. While it is possible that either Reddit or OpenAI made a deliberate decision, it is expected that ChatGPT may resume citing Reddit in the future.