Exploring AI Understanding Through Reddit’s Dark Corners
As Artificial Intelligence continues to evolve, much of its training data—particularly in language models—has been sourced from diverse online communities, including Reddit. This raises an interesting question: has someone, somewhere, inadvertently exposed AI models to the more notorious or obscure corners of Reddit’s discourse?
Motivated by this curiosity, I decided to test whether AI models like Gemini are aware of Reddit-specific slang or meme styles. Specifically, I prompted it to respond in a “shittymorph” style—an intentionally exaggerated, humorous, and often vulgar way of commenting that’s popular in certain Reddit circles.
The results were quite revealing. The AI quickly matched the tone, demonstrating a surprisingly nuanced understanding of this niche vernacular. It suggests that these models have not only been exposed to mainstream Reddit content but have also absorbed some of its more specialized, internet-specific language.
This opens up an intriguing avenue for further exploration: by probing deeper into the more obscure Reddit lore and subcultures, we might better gauge the extent of these models’ knowledge. What other hidden corners of internet culture have these AIs learned from? And how does this influence their ability to engage authentically or understand context?
If you have ideas for niche or lesser-known Reddit phenomena to test, I’d love to hear them. This ongoing investigation could reveal much about the reach and depth of AI understanding in the digital age.
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