For an article quoting a study, this one is embarrasingly short on actual references or links to the reddit subs and posts it mentions. There’s literally only a link to the 2018 study and the rest coild well be speculation.
Now I don’t know about corporate manipulation, but what I can confirm I’ve seen is a lot of small businesses using reddit to shift opinions. For example: local rental car providers on the madeira sub. Or food retailers on my local city’s sub.
And, more worryingly, there’s an absurd amount of political propaganda. For example the waves of accounts on my native language sub supporting absolutely everything a political party does. Or the blatant manipulation being done on conservative. Or the sudden vanishing of near all kamala-supporting accounts in the morning following american election night. It’s absolutely astounding.
https://www.reuters.com/business/nearly-90-videogame-developers-use-ai-agents-google-study-shows-2025-08-18/
Good luck finding a dev that doesn’t want to use/ isn’t forced to use / doesn’t lie about using AI tools.
Ar this point if we’re to shun all AI tools we might just give up the hobby.