“There’s lots of different areas where AI may not necessarily replace human work, but is going to be an amazing superpower,” Alexis Ohanian lauded last month. The entrepreneur and techie who took the world by storm with his co-founding of Reddit, a platform now boasting over 1.7 billion monthly unique visitors, has consistently positioned himself at the cutting edge of technological evolution. Lately, amidst his ventures to support women’s sports and actively partake in parenting conversations, Ohanian has been sharing more interactions with AI via the TikTok Studio Ghibli trend. And he’s quietly surprised by the nostalgic touch this technology brought to him.

Ohanian’s recent Instagram foray into AI-generated art became a surprising portal to his past. The whimsical Studio Ghibli renditions of his family, including daughter Olympia, sparked a wave of creative exploration juxtaposed against his childhood sketches of buff superheroes. This playful engagement, however, triggered a poignant reflection on technological evolution. “The 4o model does an amazing job generating images, and I’ve been playing around with it quite a bit,” he shared, but the slow, row-by-row image generation evoked a stark contrast to today’s instant gratification.

Alexis Ohanian recalled the agonizingly slow crawl of 33.6 dial-up connections, you know, when the internet came with a modem before? It was a stark reminder of that time when high-resolution images materialized pixel by agonizing pixel. The irony wasn’t lost on Ohanian. “I’m sitting there waiting for one of my AI images to generate. And it’s out of focus at first, and it starts to load row by row.” He envisioned a generation of children, accustomed to seamless digital experiences, experiencing a novel form of frustration. He added, “It reminds me that history may not always repeat itself, but it definitely rhymes. And this is a fun, nostalgic moment, waiting for my AI-generated Ghibli portrait of the family to be created.”

On April 1, Serena Williams‘ husband wowed fans by sharing AI-generated Studio Ghibli-style images from last year’s Athlos meet, featuring himself and his daughter Olympia. From the iconic father-daughter moment in the stands to Olympia running the track and proudly holding a crown, he captured it all with charming Ghibli flair.

Then, on April 11, Alexis Ohanian kept the AI creativity flowing by posting more Ghibli-inspired images on X, tagging The Athletic’s Evan Parker. He playfully suggested, “OK hear me out @evaneparker what if we built a way to turn your @onMantel profile photo into a trading card from your favorite year/set—can you guess all of these?” Among the images was a pumped-up Ohanian with a laptop celebrating a big win and a college varsity jacket look from his student days, proving he’s fully embraced the AI wave.

Just weeks earlier, he’d reacted with humor to an AI-created superhero action figure of himself, saying, “I’d get this for my daughters, knowing they would never play with it, but just for the reaction when they see their dad as a little action figure. lol. Please make these IRL.”

But while he’s sharing these moments as a fun father, he’s still a tech pioneer who is making every move to invest in the right place!

Alexis Ohanian invests in AI technology and urges for more of its uses

ScorePlay just raised $13 million in Series A funding, and it’s all about AI transforming sports storytelling. The platform uses artificial intelligence to help over 200 sports organizations—including NBA, NHL, MLS, and NWSL teams—streamline their highlights and clips. Investors like Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo, and soccer legend Alex Morgan are backing this AI-driven revolution in how fans experience sports content.

Ohanian isn’t just an investor; he actively uses ScorePlay’s AI-powered platform through his ownership of NWSL soccer, TGL golf, and the new Athlos track league. He credits the technology for helping his teams thrive in sports media. “So many people ask how we’ve been able to have so much success in emerging sports across so many different leagues and ScorePlay is the heart of one of the reasons why,” he told CNBC, praising its consistent overperformance. Ohanian has invested millions across multiple rounds, betting big on AI’s transformative role in sports storytelling.

But his vision for AI extends beyond sports. At a March conference in Qatar, Alexis Ohanian shared bold ideas about AI reshaping social media. He imagines platforms allowing users to “choose their level of tolerance” with adjustable sliders to customize feeds. “I’d imagine another wave of social media platforms building this way,” he said, predicting users will soon “select their own algorithm” for greater control and personalization.

Now, with AI advancing at lightning speed, Ohanian’s vision feels closer than ever. What do you think?