The Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit behind Wikipedia, has revealed a new Artificial Intelligence (AI) strategy focused on enhancing the functioning of its volunteer editors, moderators, and patrollers, rather than replacing their roles.
Announced on April 30, 2025, this approach would alleviate the workload of unpaid volunteers, allowing them to concentrate on quality control and maintaining the integrity of the world’s largest online encyclopedia.
A new approach towards integration
The foundation emphasised that AI will not replace its dedicated volunteer workforce, which has collaboratively built Wikipedia over nearly 25 years.
"For nearly 25 years, Wikipedia editors have researched, deliberated, discussed, built consensus, and collaboratively written the largest encyclopedia humankind has ever seen. Their care and commitment to reliable encyclopedic knowledge is something AI cannot replace,” the organisation stated in a blog post, on April 30.
Their newly developed strategy would prioritise:
- Human agency in editorial processes.
- Use of open-source or open-weight AI tools.
- Transparency in AI implementation.
- A nuanced approach to supporting multilingualism.
Wikimedia also ruled out using AI to generate content. AI will be used instead to remove technical barriers for volunteers and to enhancing search capabilities within Wikipedia’s database to help editors locate information efficiently. This builds on existing AI uses, such as detecting vandalism, translating content, and assessing content readability.
