Reddit fixes AI bug that wrongly altered LGBT subreddit descriptions for weeks

Reddit has resolved a bug that incorrectly altered subreddit descriptions on its Android app, including changing a lesbian community’s description to say it was for “straight” women. The issue, which persisted for weeks and sparked user concerns about unauthorized AI content modification, was caused by a malfunctioning translation service that mistakenly performed “English-to-English translations.”

What happened: Multiple subreddit descriptions were inaccurately changed when viewed through Reddit’s Android app, with some alterations significantly misrepresenting community purposes.

• The r/actuallesbians subreddit’s description was changed from “a place for cis and trans lesbians” to “a place for straight and transgender lesbians.”
• The r/autisticparents community, designed for parents with autism, was described as being for “parents of autistic children.”
• Another subreddit saw “wayward adventures” changed to “crazy adventures” in its band description.

The technical explanation: Reddit blamed the problem on a bug in its AI-powered translation service that was incorrectly translating from English to English.

• “There was a small bug in a test we ran that mistakenly caused the English-to-English translation(s) you saw,” Reddit spokesperson Tim Rathschmidt explained to Ars Technica.
• The company has since pulled the problematic test but continues running its machine learning-powered translation features.
• Reddit plans to fix the bug and rerun its unspecified test in the future.

Why this matters: The incident highlights the potential risks of automated content modification without proper oversight or user notification.

• Many users initially suspected Reddit was using generative AI to rewrite user-created content, possibly for search engine optimization purposes.
• The mistaken descriptions caused real harm to communities, with moderator Paige_Railstone noting that incorrect labeling led to inappropriate posts that could drive away community members.

What moderators are saying: Community leaders expressed frustration about the lack of communication and control over automated changes to their spaces.

• “This translation service was rolled out without any notification that I’m aware of, and no option to disable it within the mods’ control,” Paige_Railstone told Ars Technica.
• The moderator emphasized how the bug increased their workload and potentially damaged their community’s safe space for autistic parents.

The broader implications: While Reddit clarified it’s not currently using generative AI to alter user content without notice, the incident raises questions about transparency in automated content systems.

• The bug persisted for weeks without explanation, and there appeared to be no manual oversight of the translation service’s output.
• Some users may remain concerned about Reddit’s use of AI technologies and the potential for similar issues in the future.