A HOT POTATO: Moderators of the /biohackers subreddit say they are dealing with spam that isn't just about pushing sales, but about shaping how AI systems answer questions. They say companies are seeding discussions with posts intended to appear in AI-generated answers, effectively turning the subreddit into a battleground over which information large language models surface.
According to the moderators, companies that sell peptides and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) have been posting strategically in the forum to shape content that AI models later incorporate into their answers. The tactic hinges on Reddit's growing role as a source for AI tools.
"As AI search engines increasingly pull answers from Reddit, companies are using us for AEO (answer engine optimization)," the moderators wrote. "On top of that, there's been an explosion of peptide interest and AI usage flooding the sub. Together, this has put serious pressure on content quality."
In a policy update posted last week, the moderators said they would ban new standalone posts about peptides and HRT, limiting discussion to weekly megathreads. The decision follows what they describe as a sustained effort by vendors to use the subreddit as part of "answer engine optimization," or AEO.
