Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian is making waves in the social media landscape with his strong stance against AI-driven content curation as he relaunches Digg, the classic Reddit rival founded in 2004. During an “Ask Me Anything” session on Reddit Monday, Ohanian made clear he has no nostalgia for his former leadership role at the platform he started over 20 years ago, responding curtly “I do not” when asked if he missed anything about leading Reddit.
Ohanian stepped down from Reddit’s board of directors in June 2020 following the killing of George Floyd, calling it a “long overdue” move and urging the company to fill his seat with a Black candidate. The entrepreneur explained in Monday’s AMA that he left “to pressure the company to make policy changes like banning racist/hate communities,” after Reddit faced criticism for providing a platform for racist and hate speech.
Now, Ohanian is channeling his energy into reviving Digg, which he and original founder Kevin Rose reacquired last year. The platform, which was once valued at $180 million when Google floated a purchase deal in 2008, was sold to venture capital fund Betaworks for just $500,000 in 2012. The dramatic fall and subsequent resurrection represents a second chance for the pioneering social news aggregator.
What sets the new Digg apart is Ohanian’s explicit rejection of AI-driven content recommendation systems. He promised users the platform would be “community-first” with a “transparent algorithm based on what you actually follow,” directly contrasting with the opaque, engagement-optimizing systems that dominate modern social media.
“We are not using AI to rank content, shape discourse, personalize feeds, or decide what you should see,” Ohanian declared. “There is no black box recommendation engine optimizing for engagement. Our feed logic is simple, published, and human readable.” He characterized AI-driven content curation as “AI-driven enshittification,” using the popular tech term for platforms degrading user experience in pursuit of profit.
This positioning represents a direct challenge to the AI-powered algorithms that drive engagement on platforms like Facebook, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), and even Reddit itself, which have increasingly relied on machine learning to personalize content and maximize user engagement.
Key Quotes
I do not.
Alexis Ohanian’s blunt response when asked if he missed anything about being in leadership at Reddit, the company he cofounded over 20 years ago. This terse answer underscores his complete break from the platform and sets the stage for his new direction with Digg.
We are not using AI to rank content, shape discourse, personalize feeds, or decide what you should see. There is no black box recommendation engine optimizing for engagement. Our feed logic is simple, published, and human readable.
Ohanian’s core promise for the relaunched Digg platform, explicitly rejecting the AI-driven algorithms that power most modern social media. This statement positions Digg as a transparent alternative to AI-powered content curation systems.
AI-driven enshittification
Ohanian’s characterization of how artificial intelligence is being used on social platforms, employing the popular tech term ’enshittification’ to describe platform degradation. This phrase captures his critique of how AI algorithms prioritize engagement over user experience and authentic community interaction.
Our Take
Ohanian’s anti-AI positioning for Digg is a fascinating gamble that tests whether transparency can compete with optimization in social media. While his critique of “black box” AI systems resonates with growing user concerns, the reality is that AI-driven personalization has proven extraordinarily effective at capturing attention and driving engagement—which is why every major platform uses it.
The question is whether users will choose a transparent, community-driven experience over the dopamine-optimized feeds they’ve become accustomed to. Ohanian is essentially betting that there’s a market segment tired of algorithmic manipulation, similar to how some consumers choose organic food despite convenience of processed alternatives. His timing may be right, as AI fatigue and concerns about algorithmic control are reaching mainstream consciousness. However, competing against AI-powered platforms without AI tools is like bringing a knife to a gunfight—noble, but potentially impractical in the attention economy.
Why This Matters
Ohanian’s rejection of AI algorithms for Digg represents a significant countertrend in an industry that has embraced artificial intelligence as the default solution for content curation and user engagement. As major platforms face growing criticism for AI-driven echo chambers, misinformation amplification, and addictive engagement patterns, his “human-readable” approach offers an alternative vision for social media.
This matters because it highlights mounting concerns about AI transparency and control in digital platforms. The term “black box” algorithms has become synonymous with user distrust, as people increasingly question what content they’re being shown and why. Ohanian’s promise of transparency directly addresses these concerns.
For the broader AI industry, this represents a cautionary tale about AI adoption. While artificial intelligence offers powerful capabilities for personalization and engagement, Ohanian’s positioning suggests there’s market demand for simpler, more transparent systems. His use of “enshittification” to describe AI-driven feeds reflects growing user frustration with algorithmic manipulation. Whether Digg’s anti-AI stance succeeds could signal whether transparency can compete with AI-powered engagement optimization in the attention economy.
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Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/alexis-ohanian-reddit-cofounder-doesnt-miss-leadership-digg-2026-1