Wikipedia, the free online encyclopaedia that became a cornerstone of the early internet, has celebrated its 25th anniversary by announcing a significant shift in its relationship with the tech world. The non-profit organisation has signed a series of new licensing agreements with major artificial intelligence companies, including Amazon, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Perplexity, and France's Mistral AI.
Monetising the AI Boom
These deals represent a strategic move to address a growing tension in the digital ecosystem. As generative AI chatbots and large language models have surged in popularity, they have heavily relied on Wikipedia's vast, freely available knowledge base for training data. This has led to increased server strain from bots and an 8% drop in human traffic to the site last year.
The Wikimedia Foundation, which operates the site, stated that the new partnerships will help it monetise the substantial traffic it now receives from AI firms. These companies are paying for access to Wikipedia content "at a volume and speed designed specifically for their needs." Financial details were not disclosed, but the move follows a 2022 deal with Google and agreements with smaller players like Ecosia.
Wikimedia Foundation CEO Maryana Iskander, speaking from Johannesburg, emphasised the necessity of the move. "Our infrastructure is not free, right?" she said, highlighting the significant costs of maintaining servers that enable both individuals and tech giants to draw data from the site. Iskander is set to step down on 20 January, succeeded by Bernadette Meehan.
Wales on AI, Funding, and 'Wokepedia' Critics
Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales expressed clear support for the new direction. "I'm very happy personally that AI models are training on Wikipedia data because it’s human curated," he told The Associated Press. He contrasted this with the prospect of AI trained solely on platforms like X (formerly Twitter), joking about not wanting to use "a very angry AI."
However, Wales was firm that AI companies must contribute. "They should probably chip in and pay for your fair share of the cost that you’re putting on us," he stated. He pointed out that Wikipedia's 8 million individual donors are "not donating in order to subsidize these huge AI companies."
The anniversary comes as Wikipedia faces political criticism, particularly from the right in the United States, where some Republican lawmakers are investigating alleged bias in its editing process. Billionaire Elon Musk, a notable critic, last year launched a rival AI-powered service, Grokipedia, and has accused Wikipedia of hosting "propaganda."
Wales dismissed Grokipedia as a serious threat, explaining that current large language models often produce rambling or inaccurate reference material. "So a lot of it is just regurgitated Wikipedia... the more obscure topic you look into, the worse it is," he said. Despite the rivalry, Wales mentioned he hasn't spoken to Musk since Grokipedia's launch but would likely send a congenial message: "'How’s your family?' I’m a nice person, I don’t really want to pick a fight with anybody."
The Future: AI as a Tool for Editors
Looking forward, the Wikimedia Foundation has outlined an AI strategy that could see the technology assist its vast volunteer network. Wales predicted AI could soon handle tedious tasks for editors, such as updating dead links by scanning text and finding new sources. "We don’t have that yet but that’s the kind of thing that I think we will see in the future," he said.
He also envisions a more conversational future for Wikipedia's search function, moving beyond keyword searches. "You can imagine a world where you can ask the Wikipedia search box a question and it will quote to you from Wikipedia," he explained, suggesting a chatbot-like interface that directly provides answers and sources.
Reflecting on Wikipedia's birth 25 years ago as an experiment with co-founder Larry Sanger, Wales recalled "a time of great excitement and a real spirit of possibility." Today, the ninth most visited website globally, with over 65 million articles in 300 languages maintained by roughly 250,000 volunteers, is navigating a new digital era, ensuring its foundational knowledge remains both accessible and sustainable.
