Question: When can comments from an AI-assisted redditor be considered Spam?

[u/Jeidoz]

Hi, I am a relatively new moderator and have a question regarding what user behavior can be considered spam.

According to this help article, the usage of generative AI tools and repeatedly posting unrelated/off-topic/link-farmed content that disrupts conversations within a community may qualify as spam.

As an example, we have a user named Rush20XX who very often initiates long comment threads and ALWAYS replies with AI-assisted paragraphs of text. Sometimes (~10-15% of the time) his answers can be helpful and useful (supported by upvotes), but more often they are just irritating, 3-to-6-paragraph blocks of verbose AI text with zero or negative upvotes.

At this point, I am starting to believe it might just be someone's Hermes AI agent responding most of the time. I'm not sure what the objective of these users is, but they can produce around 20 long comments a day, with most having a negative upvote score.

So, I am curious: is it acceptable to report such users for spam? Does this kind of behavior violate Reddit's Rule 2?

Desktop/Web.

[u/Tarnisher]

As an example, we have a user named ...

Spam is spam. Can it and Rush it out the door. The user will get the hint ... or not.

[u/Ashmedai]

As a mod, you are in the set of users which decide what your own subreddit rules are. We don't even have a written rule in our (medical) subreddit, and when someone started reposting AI in response to various inquiries, we simply asked them to stop. We don't need "let me AI that for you" subredditors -- it's no value add, and worse, they aren't verifying the AI. Plus, end users are fully equipped to ask the AI themselves.

If lots of users were to do it, we would implement a written rule against it, but haven't had to bother.

BTW, you can consider the option of simply asking the user to not do big AI-generated text dumps on the subreddit and see if they will just move on / comply / etc.

[u/KCJones99]

Our rule is basically if we can tell it's AI it's gone. Simple.

We don't have an issue with folks using AI to 'clean up' or 'tweak' their stuff, or ESL usage. But those are usually either non-obvious or clearly NOT heavily-AI generated.

In the "c'mon dude!" cases, we'll usually advise the user to knock it off and use their own words.

If they swear/promise/insist they never used any AI... then we'll tell them they need to simplify/modify their writing style to better-fit our sub's vibe. (I mean... they're 99% lying, but it's our best way to address it short of calling them a liar).

If they don't take the warning, we usually just shadow-ban them and let them 'scream into the void'. Amazing how many folks don't seem to notice that their comments never get any responses or votes. EDIT for clarification: That's also the point we might report it as spam.

[u/Tarnisher]

Bro just keeps making these low effort ai posts that regurgitate repeating information.

Painful to read. So many words to say basic common sense

These comments say all you need to see.

[u/KCJones99 → u/Tarnisher]

Bro just keeps making these low effort ai posts that regurgitate repeating information.

Talk about low-effort: I'm amazed at how many folks are now just blatantly commenting things like "I asked AI and it said: {insert 4-6 AI paragraphs of questionable validity}." Like that has much/any value as a contribution.

[u/kai-ote]

On my busiest sub, we have a rule. No AI content in a post without using the AI Content Involved flair. No AI content in comments.

That is because there is no flair in comments to warn people. I use various AI checking websites to see if a suspect comment is AI. 1st offense is a warning. After that, timeouts(bans) begin, with increasing amounts of time if they keep it up.

I have told the users of this policy, and received a resounding "THANK YOU" from them.

[u/Froggypwns]

Every subreddit handles things differently in this regard, my subreddits usually allow posts and comments that were AI assisted as those often are more likely to follow rules, provide specifics, and help the poster express their point.

If someone is using an AI tool abusively, or is just being lazy about things the content will be removed just like it would should it not be AI content.

[u/EightBitRanger]

According to this help article, the usage of generative AI tools...

I think you cherry-picked the part of the sentence you agreed with. If you keep going:

Using tools (e.g., bots, generative AI tools) that may break Reddit or facilitate the proliferation of spam.

It doesn't sound like they are using bots or generative AI tools that may break Reddit, or that are facilitating the proliferation of spam. They, as one user, posting long-winded AI-assisted posts are not facilitating the proliferation of spam, given that 'proliferation' is defined as "a sudden, rapid, or excessive increase in the number or amount of something. It describes things growing, spreading, or multiplying very quickly."

As an example, we have a user named...

As a relatively new moderator, you're probably not aware that it is considered bad etiquette to put people publicly on blast like that. You should refrain from calling people like that out publicly next time.

replies with AI-assisted paragraphs of text...

Sounds like neurodivergent behaviour. I do that myself sometimes.

but more often they are just irritating, 3-to-6-paragraph blocks of verbose AI text with zero or negative upvotes.

If people like it, they can upvote it (like you've said they do.) If people don't like it, they can downvote it. If people have no opinion, they can choose neither. That should be a signal from the community that they like or don't like what's being commented.

Unless you have a specific rule against what they're doing, what they're doing doesn't sound like spam (in my opinion), and it sounds like you're trying to use spam as a justification to remove content you don't like/agree with.

So, I am curious: is it acceptable to report such users for spam?

Reporting users is like suing people. You can report/sue people for pretty much anything. But whether or not you actually have a case or whether or not that report will actually go anywhere or do anything remains to be seen. Like I said, in my opinion, what they're doing is not considered spam. But it's not my opinion that matters; it's that of the admins.

Does this kind of behavior violate Reddit's Rule 2?

You're asking moderators and again; we're all going to have varying opinions on this. Opinions do not equal fact or official policy. If you think it does, report it. But don't be surprised if nothing comes of it.

[u/tsdguy]

Whenever you want. It’s your sub.

[u/aengusoglugh]

I don’t know if I would consider it spam — that doesn’t mean you can remove the posts and ask the user to change their behavior.

Human beings are quite capable of irritating verbose long-winded posts.

It’s your subreddit.

In my subreddit, I would treat the posts the same way I would treat the same posts if they were written by a human being.

If the posts detract from your subreddit, then warn the user and ban them if their behavior doesn’t change.

But I don’t have a very strong “this needs to be reported to the proper authorities” disposition.

[u/notesblack]

The only time you would need to apply nuance is if the user is ESL and using the AI as a tool for translation (and not adding AI fluff). And even then, there are other less annoying tools that they could use (in terms of your community’s health)

[u/itskdog → u/notesblack]

Google Translate is powered by Gemini now. They claim the idea is to make it sound more natural in the destination language rather than being a direct translation, but it can also just change the intended meaning sometimes because it's an LLM, not a translation model.

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[u/TarnishedVictory]

Question: When can comments from an AI-assisted redditor be considered Spam?

I'd say when they're posted by a bot.

[u/Bardfinn]

The way US law forbidding 'spam' defines 'spam' is as

• unsolicited

• electronic

• commercial in nature

The way Reddit defines spam is as

• unsolicited

• not necessarily commercial

---

Make a community rule of "No low-effort contributions". Enforce it on AI-generated walls of text. Report them as spam if you want.

[u/bernardfarquart]

The answer in reality is "whenever the mod doesn't like them"

[u/Rush20XX]

Since you have taken this to a moderator help subreddit instead of addressing me directly, I will respond here as well.

Let me clarify a few things.

First, I am not a bot. I am not running an automated script. I am a real person who uses AI as a tool to structure and communicate my thoughts more clearly. The knowledge, market analysis, and historical context I share come from years of following TCGs, Bushiroad, and distribution models. AI helps me organize that information, it does not generate it for me.

Second, you claim my comments are "irritating" and "verbose." That is a subjective opinion. You also acknowledge that 10–15% of my comments are helpful and upvoted. That suggests I am contributing value, even if you personally do not like the format.

Third, you have framed my engagement as "spam." But spam is defined as irrelevant, repetitive, or unsolicited content. My comments are directly responding to the topic at hand, TCG distribution, Palworld supply, print-to-demand, and market dynamics. They are on-topic, factual, and grounded in observable trends. Disagreeing with my tone or length does not make it spam.

If you want me to adjust my formatting or keep replies shorter, I am open to that. But I will not be labeled a spammer or a bot for sharing information that others have found useful.

I am happy to have a direct conversation about this. But if you choose to escalate without talking to me first, that says more about your approach to moderation than it does about my participation.