Wikipedia is facing an 8% decline in human traffic, and the Wikimedia Foundation attributes this to search engines using artificial intelligence to provide direct answers instead of links. We explore the risks this trend poses to the future of open knowledge and the urgent need to support original sources.
- The last good website on the internet in danger?
- Noticeable decline in human traffic
- The causes: generative AI and social media
- The impact of AI summaries
- The risks: erosion of source awareness and volunteers
- Call to action: support original content
- Wikipedia’s response: reaching new readers
- Conclusion: the importance of trusted human knowledge
- FAQs
The last good website on the internet in danger?
Wikipedia is often described as the last good website on an internet increasingly filled with toxic social media and low-quality AI-generated content. But the online encyclopedia appears not entirely immune to broader trends, as human page views dropped 8% year-over-year, according to a new blog post by Marshall Miller of the Wikimedia Foundation.
Noticeable decline in human traffic
The foundation has been working to distinguish between human and bot traffic. Miller writes that the drop “over the past few months” was uncovered after an update to Wikipedia’s bot-detection systems, which showed that much of the unusually high traffic had been coming from bots designed to evade detection.
The causes: generative AI and social media
Why is traffic dropping? Miller points to “the impact of generative AI and social media on how people search for information.” Two main factors are at play here: changes in search engines, and a shift in user behavior, especially among younger generations.
The impact of AI summaries
One of the main reasons is that “search engines are increasingly using generative AI to provide direct answers to searchers instead of linking to sites like ours.” When users get an instant summary of their query right on the search results page, they are less likely to click through to the original source, such as Wikipedia. (Although Google has disputed the claim that AI summaries reduce search traffic).
Additionally, “younger generations are looking for information on social video platforms instead of the open web,” marking a cultural shift away from traditional text-based sources.
The risks: erosion of source awareness and volunteers
Miller says the foundation welcomes “new ways for people to acquire knowledge” and argues that this does not make Wikipedia any less important, as knowledge from the encyclopedia still reaches people even if they do not visit the website.
But this shift presents real risks, especially if people become less aware of the actual source of their information. As Miller explains: “With fewer visits to Wikipedia, fewer volunteers may grow and enrich the content, and fewer individual donors may support this work.” Wikipedia’s entire model relies on human contributions and donations, both of which are threatened by lower visibility.
Call to action: support original content
For this reason, Miller argues that AI, search, and social companies that use content from Wikipedia “should encourage more visitors” to the site itself. He calls for greater collaboration to ensure the sustainability of the open knowledge ecosystem.
Wikipedia’s response: reaching new readers
Miller says Wikipedia is taking steps of its own, for example by developing a new framework for attributing content from the encyclopedia. The organization also has two teams tasked with helping Wikipedia reach new readers, and it is looking for volunteers to assist with these efforts.
Conclusion: the importance of trusted human knowledge
Miller also encourages readers to “support content integrity and content creation” more broadly. He writes: “When you look for information online, look for citations and click through to the original source materials. Talk with people you know about the importance of reliable, human-curated knowledge, and help them understand that the underlying content of generative AI was created by real people who deserve their support.”
FAQs
Why is Wikipedia traffic declining?
There are two main reasons: first, search engines are using generative AI to provide direct answers and summaries on the results page, reducing the need for users to click links to Wikipedia. Second, younger generations are turning to social video platforms to search for information.
What risks does this decline pose to Wikipedia?
Risks include lower awareness of information sources, a potential drop in the number of volunteers contributing to content editing, and lower individual donations supporting the encyclopedia’s work.
What is Wikipedia asking of tech companies?
It is asking AI and search companies that use Wikipedia content to encourage more visitors to visit the site itself and provide clear source attribution.
