Reddit CEO Steve Huffman Says AI Learns From Us, Doesn't Invent Knowledge: 'Can't Have Artificial Intelligence Without Actual Intelligence'

Reddit Inc. RDDT CEO Steve Huffman believes the future of artificial intelligence relies fundamentally on human input—not machine invention.

Reddit CEO Defends Human-Centric Data

During Reddit's second-quarter earnings call on Thursday, Huffman said that AI technologies are built on the foundation of real human conversation and community insights.

"In an automated world that depends on human knowledge, we view Reddit as one of the most important and differentiated data sources," Huffman said. "AI doesn't invent knowledge. It learns from us—from real people sharing real perspectives."

"You can't have artificial intelligence without actual intelligence," he added.

Microsoft Report Flags Job Disruption Risks

Huffman's remarks come amid growing debate over how AI tools—like OpenAI's ChatGPT, Midjourney and other generative models—are reshaping the nature of work.

While many fear AI will replace human jobs, Huffman argues that it's enhancing the value of authentic, human-generated data.

His comments also echo broader industry concerns and insights. A new Microsoft Corporation MSFT report highlighted how generative AI will likely disrupt roles like writers, translators and customer service agents—while sparing jobs requiring manual dexterity or real-world presence.

The study has identified 40 occupations at high risk from AI and 40 that are considered more secure.

Experts Clash On AI Empowering Or Replacing People

Meanwhile, economists like Craig Shapiro have warned that AI-driven job losses may require fiscal and regulatory intervention, while voices like Palantir Technologies PLTR CTO Shyam Sankar and ARK Invest CEO Cathie Wood debate whether AI is empowering or destabilizing America's workforce.

Reddit Crushes Q2 Earnings Estimates As Shares Surge Nearly 18%

Reddit posted second-quarter revenue of $499.6 million, beating Wall Street’s expectations of $424.73 million. Earnings came in at 48 cents per share, well above analyst estimates of 19 cents.

Price Action: Reddit shares surged 17.87% in after-hours trading after posting robust earnings, according to Benzinga Pro data.

According to Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings show that RDDT continues to exhibit strong upward momentum across short, medium and long-term periods. More detailed performance insights are available here.