Wikipedia rules out allowing AI edits and cites risk of false information generated by automated systems. Photo by Ismail Aslandag / ANADOLU / Anadolu via AFP Wikipedia does not trust artificial intelligence enough to allow it to edit articles directly on the platform, said the co-founder of the online encyclopedia, Jimmy Wales, this Monday (22). According to Wales, the main problem is the so-called AI "hallucinations," when systems present false information with apparent conviction. Although the most recent models have reduced this type of error, the flaw is still "very, very serious," he said during an event on climate action in London. Now on g1 The founder of Wikipedia stated, however, that AI tools can be useful to help the community formed by millions of editors to identify news and very specific topics that could go unnoticed. "We wouldn't allow it to edit directly because it's not possible to trust it enough yet," he said. At the same time, artificial intelligence platforms widely use Wikipedia content to answer user questions. According to Wales, this has contributed to an increase in site visits by AI bots, while human visitor traffic has seen an 8% drop. A member of the board of the Wikimedia Foundation, the entity that maintains Wikipedia, Wales classified the reduction in human visitors as "relevant," but stated that it does not represent a critical problem for the encyclopedia, which remains among the ten most visited sites in the world. Created in 2001, Wikipedia depends on user donations and, therefore, its funding model is not directly linked to the volume of visits. Wales also argued that AI companies should contribute financially to the platform.
According to him, the large volume of queries made by automated systems generates real costs for maintaining server infrastructure. The founder stated that Wikipedia has already signed agreements with several technology giants and has started blocking companies that, according to him, are not complying with the platform's terms of use.
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