How Wikipedia Fights AI… While it Also Uses AI
Wikipedia is a complex and critical topic for marketing and communications pros. WikiWise aims to help you become wise to the ways of Wikipedia.
BRIEFING
Wikipedia Worries About Looming Legislation
What regulatory issues are currently most concerning to Wikipedia? Among the top issues the Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) has been closely monitoring are proposed changes to content moderation laws, especially those addressing child safety—not just in the U.S., but around the world. At last weekend's annual conference for Wikipedians in North America, the WMF's top lobbyist, Stan Adams, outlined his current work for the community.
As a major public platform, Wikipedia is often grouped with social networks including Meta, TikTok, and X regarding concerns over harmful content like harassment and child exploitation. Laws being considered in California, Texas, Florida—and also in Europe—could introduce new "age-gating" and content moderation restrictions.
Wikipedia has one advantage on these other sites: it does not use algorithms to suggest content to its users, but it still faces scrutiny. It also potentially has more to lose, given its long-standing commitments to principles involving user anonymity and opposing censorship. Adams' bottom line: Wikipedia can't control what lawmakers do, but the WMF can help emphasize the importance of free knowledge in the legislative process.
IN THE NEWS
Wikipedia and AI: Allies or Adversaries?
Last week the internet-focused news site 404 Media published "The Editors Protecting Wikipedia from AI Hoaxes", about a new collaborative effort called WikiProject AI Cleanup. As complaints rise about generative AI "polluting" scientific writing, ruining image search, and even threatening the internet's very existence, these Wikipedians are determined to save Wikipedia from these potential outcomes. As noted by 404 Media, the fact that Wikipedia has always been curated by hand, rather than by algorithm, has made its efforts more successful than sites like Google and Facebook. However, participating editors are still in the experimental phase, even testing out AI tools for identifying examples of AI-generated text.
Previously, Wikipedia's in-house "newspaper", The Signpost, ran a fascinating piece examining WikiProject AI Cleanup's efforts around AI images on Wikipedia—where it has been rooted out, and even a few places where it has been tolerated. Wikipedia articles currently using AI-created images as of this writing: Artificial planet on the English Wikipedia, Cleopatra in Czech, and Unicorn in Portuguese. Pictured above is one of the most amusing images, from the Norwegian article on Anachronism.
WHO'S MEDDLING NOW?
领英推荐
Running Scared
Over the past year we've noted examples of government and elected officials editing Wikipedia in a self-serving manner. The time has come to formalize this topic in a new recurring feature: Who's Meddling Now? And the latest example comes from a more surprising place: the ultramarathon community. As first reported by Canadian Running magazine's Marley Dickinson, noted American ultrarunner Camille Herron and her husband, Conor Holt, have been anonymously editing Wikipedia since at least 2016, making her look better and her competitors worse. After getting caught by Wikipedia editors earlier this year, they created a new account and were promptly caught again. Kudos to Dickinson, and if you can't get enough, Outside Magazine has some great follow-up coverage.
WIKIPEDIA FACTS
97%
It's long been known that clicking on the first link on over 97% of all Wikipedia articles will ultimately lead to the article Philosophy. This summer, a YouTuber noted that this had changed for nearly 25% of all articles, in a video titled "How One Small Change Broke Wikipedia's First Link Rule". What happened? Someone switched in the order of "philosophy and psychology" in the article Awareness: But the video brought new scrutiny, and after multiple discussions among editors, order has been restored, and 97% of all articles once again point to Philosophy.
TIPS & TRICKS
Have you ever thought about editing Wikipedia from your smartphone? Don't laugh—a small but potentially growing number of Wikipedia editors, including many Gen Z contributors, are doing just that. To learn more, read this essay by Wikimedian of the Year Hannah Clover on editing Wikipedia from her Android phone.
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