Wikipedia Pauses AI-Generated Summaries
Wikipedia temporarily paused a pilot program utilizing AI-generated article summaries in June 2023 following criticism from editors who deemed the feature problematic and potentially damaging to the platform’s credibility.
The pilot program, which began in Febuary 2023, used a language model to create concise summaries of English Wikipedia articles. Editors raised concerns about inaccuracies, biased phrasing, and the potential for the summaries to replace human-written content. The Verge reported on the editor revolt.
Jimmy Wales on AI Training and Funding
Jimmy Wales,the founder of Wikipedia,expressed support for AI models being trained on Wikipedia’s data,emphasizing the value of its human curation. Though,he also advocated for financial contributions from companies utilizing this data.
Definition / Direct Answer: Jimmy Wales supports AI models training on Wikipedia data but believes companies benefiting from this training should financially contribute to Wikipedia’s operational costs.
Detail: Wales highlighted the superiority of training AI on Wikipedia’s human-curated content compared to platforms like X (formerly Twitter), suggesting the latter could lead to the development of a biased or “angry AI.” He believes that organizations leveraging Wikipedia’s data for AI development have a responsibility to share the financial burden of maintaining the platform.
Example or evidence: In an interview with the Associated Press on June 6, 2023, Wales stated, “You should probably chip in and pay for your fair share of the cost that you’re putting on us.” associated Press
Current Status (as of January 15, 2026)
Definition / Direct Answer: as of January 15, 2026, Wikipedia has not reinstated the AI-generated summary pilot program, and there have been no official announcements regarding its future.
Detail: Searches on the official Wikipedia blog (https://blog.wikimedia.org/) and news sources confirm that the program remains paused.The Wikimedia Foundation continues to explore AI applications, but with a focus on tools to assist human editors rather than replace them. wikimedia Foundation – AI details their current approach.
Example or Evidence: A review of the Wikimedia Foundation’s official statements and blog posts as of January 15, 2026, indicates a continued emphasis on human oversight and collaboration in content creation and quality control. No announcements have been made regarding the resumption of the AI summary pilot program.
