Wikipedia bans AI content

According to the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit organization that runs Wikipedia, the website’s core volunteer group has passed a ban on large language model (LLM) volunteers like ChatGPT providing content, citing concerns about accuracy, information sources, and reliability.

The notice emphasizes that this type of content violates the site’s core principles, including standards of verifiability and neutrality, because chatbots are susceptible to “illusion”. Volunteers can still use AI on a limited basis, only for translation or minor editing purposes, but any changes need to be checked for accuracy.

In case of doubt, the editor and censorship team will review. They can criticize, edit or delete controversial content.

Wikipedia’s ban on AI content was planned last year. Talk to NPRIlyas Lebleu, a volunteer editor for Wikipedia in France, said the team began to notice a lot of posts that “did not fit the usual style on Wikipedia”, and that the number of articles created by AI increased, making it difficult for editors to manage.

In October 2025, Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales criticized the “unreliable” AI model, calling it a “mess,” according to BBC. He warned that the technology is “not ready to replace human editors”.

Wikipedia is currently facing a decline in access due to users searching through AI. Data published in October 2025 by the Wikimedia Foundation shows that ChatGPT has surpassed Wikipedia in terms of monthly visits. Traffic in 2025 will also decrease by 8% compared to 2024.

According to Marshall Miller, Senior Product Manager at Wikimedia Foundation, Wikipedia’s traffic decline is not surprising as search engines are increasingly using AI to display answers directly on the results page instead of linking to external sources like Wikipedia. Young people also turn to platforms like YouTube or TikTok to find information.

He said Wikimedia welcomes “new ways for people to access knowledge”, believing that this does not diminish Wikipedia’s role, because knowledge from online encyclopedias still reaches people even without going directly to the website. Wikipedia even tested an AI summary feature, but stopped after editors complained.