Wikipedia won’t let AI edit articles – Cofounder

Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales has said the online encyclopedia does not trust artificial intelligence enough to allow it to directly edit articles on the platform, citing ongoing concerns about inaccurate information generated by AI systems.

Speaking to AFP on the sidelines of a climate action week event in London, Wales said that while newer AI models have reduced the problem of so-called “hallucinations”, where false information is presented as fact, the issue remains significant.

“The problem of AI hallucinations is still very, very bad,” Wales said. As a result, he said Wikipedia would not permit AI systems to make direct edits to articles. “We would not let it edit directly because you can’t really trust it enough,” he said.

However, Wales noted that AI could still play a supporting role by helping Wikipedia’s community of volunteer editors identify niche news stories and developments that might otherwise go unnoticed.

At the same time, he highlighted the growing relationship between artificial intelligence companies and Wikipedia, noting that many AI platforms rely heavily on Wikipedia’s content to answer users’ questions. According to Wales, traffic from AI bots accessing Wikipedia has increased significantly, while visits from human users have declined by about eight percent.

Describing the trend as “meaningful” but “not a disaster,” he said Wikipedia remains one of the ten most-visited websites globally and is less vulnerable to traffic fluctuations because it operates primarily through user donations rather than advertising revenue.

Wales also called on AI companies to contribute financially to support the infrastructure they depend on. “We encourage them to pay their fair share because hammering us with millions of requests costs real money,” he said.

He added that Wikipedia, through the Wikimedia Foundation, has already reached agreements with several major technology companies regarding the use of its content and server resources. “We’re starting to block the ones who aren’t behaving themselves, but we’ll see how that goes,” Wales said.