Wikipedia Traffic Drops as AI Answers Eat the Free Encyclopedia

The Wikimedia Foundation has reported an 8% decrease in human traffic to Wikipedia, attributing the decline to users opting for AI-generated summaries displayed directly in search engines rather than visiting the site. Nearly 60% of Google search queries now yield instant responses powered by Wikipedia content, which has led to a perception that the platform's visitor numbers are dropping as users get answers without accessing the articles. After an investigation, the foundation discovered that many previous traffic counts included bot activity disguising themselves as human visitors. As a result of these changes, fewer individuals are not only visiting Wikipedia but also likely participating in content updating efforts or donating to the foundation. This trend aligns with broader industry concerns as media publishers are facing similar declines in referral traffic due to AI technologies. The Wikimedia Foundation is responding by enforcing attribution policies and exploring alliances with platforms like YouTube and TikTok to reach younger audiences.

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