What Is the New 'Play' Mode?
Reddit is currently testing an experimental feature that converts selected text-based posts and their top comments into short, narrated videos. On eligible posts, users will see a new toggle with two options: “Read” and “Play”. The “Read” view presents
the classic text-based thread that users are familiar with. Switching to “Play” launches a portrait-oriented video, similar in style to a TikTok or YouTube Short, where AI-generated voices read the content aloud. As the narration proceeds, the corresponding text is highlighted on screen, much like karaoke. To ensure transparency, a clear label at the bottom of the screen reads, “Real conversation voiced by AI”.
How Does It Work?
The experiment is currently in a limited phase. The feature became available on the web on August 17, with a rollout to iOS and Android apps beginning the following day. For now, Reddit is manually selecting a small number of English-language posts from specific communities to be part of the test. The original text threads remain completely unchanged and accessible. The AI narration uses different synthetic voices for the original post and the subsequent comments to create a conversational feel. One of the first public examples involved an eight-year-old thread from the r/boardgames community, which was turned into a roughly three-minute narrated video. This demonstrates that the feature can be applied to both new and archival content.
Why Is Reddit Doing This Now?
This move is both a strategic play and a response to an existing trend. For years, third-party creators on platforms like YouTube and TikTok have been scraping Reddit content and creating their own narrated videos, often set to unrelated gameplay footage. These “Reddit story” channels attract millions of views, and Reddit has so far been left out of that engagement loop. During a recent earnings call, CEO Steve Huffman acknowledged this thriving cottage industry and noted that a native, spoken-word version of Reddit could be highly engaging for users. The company also frames the feature as an accessibility and convenience initiative, suggesting users might listen to Reddit threads while exercising, running errands, or doing other tasks.
The Broader AI Integration
The narration feature is part of a wider push by Reddit to integrate AI and expand its multimedia capabilities. The company recently announced a partnership with OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, to bring its content to the AI model and to develop new AI-powered tools for Reddit moderators and users. This new audio feature follows the introduction of video comments in June, which the company says has already seen significant uptake. By bringing the popular format of narrated threads onto its own platform, Reddit is attempting to reclaim audience attention and create new ways for users to consume the vast amount of user-generated content it hosts.
Potential Hurdles and Unanswered Questions
While the experiment is promising, it also raises questions. A significant unknown is how Reddit will scale the selection of posts beyond the current manual process, and whether users will have the ability to opt out of having their posts and comments narrated by AI. Accuracy is another potential issue, as automated voices may mispronounce usernames or community-specific jargon. Furthermore, since Reddit is selecting which comments to include in the narration, the audio version may not always reflect the full context or the most upvoted opinions of the community. How the platform addresses narration errors and community feedback will be crucial as the experiment potentially expands.
