The Wikimedia Foundation, the operator of Wikipedia, recently stated that due to an increasing number of users obtaining information from Wikipedia directly through AI chatbots and search engines, the traffic from human visitors has significantly declined. This phenomenon has raised concerns within the foundation about the future sustainability of Wikipedia.
Marshall Miller, a senior director at the Wikimedia Foundation, pointed out in an official blog post that while it is welcomed for people to access knowledge in new ways, AI tools and social media platforms should encourage users to visit Wikipedia itself when using its content. He emphasized that the decline in Wikipedia's traffic would lead to fewer volunteers, affect content production and expansion, and even result in reduced individual donations, which would directly threaten Wikipedia's normal operations.
Interestingly, although AI and search engines have reduced direct traffic to Wikipedia, Wikipedia's data has become increasingly important for these platforms. Many large language models use Wikipedia as a core dataset, and platforms like Google have long relied on Wikipedia articles to generate summaries and knowledge panels, further diverting traffic from Wikipedia.
Miller mentioned that in May 2025, Wikipedia observed an unusually high "human traffic" originating from Brazil. After investigation, the foundation adjusted its automated detection system and found that the recent human page views had decreased by about 8%. This trend reflects how AI and social media have changed the way users access information, with search engines increasingly returning answers based on Wikipedia content, making users less likely to visit the original page.
To address the challenges brought by AI, Wikipedia is strengthening its policies and technical capabilities to regulate the use of its content by third-party platforms and collaborate with major content reusers. In addition, the foundation plans to promote Wikipedia content to younger users through platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, Roblox, and Instagram.
Miller called on users to pay attention to the original sources and citations when conducting online searches, actively clicking on links to access the sources, helping to maintain the integrity and originality of knowledge. The future development of Wikipedia in the face of the impact of AI is worth continued attention.
Key Points:
📝 The Wikimedia Foundation warns that AI tools have caused a significant decline in Wikipedia traffic.
🔍 Users are accessing information through search engines and social media, reducing their willingness to directly visit Wikipedia.
📈 The foundation plans to strengthen collaboration with third-party platforms to promote Wikipedia content to address the challenges.
