# Wikipedia Embraces AI: Boosting Editors, Not Replacing Them

## Wikipedia Embraces AI: Boosting Editors, Not Replacing Them

Wikipedia, the world’s largest online encyclopedia, is taking a step towards the future by integrating generative AI into its editing process. The Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit organization behind Wikipedia, announced the move as a way to support its community of volunteer editors, moderators, and patrollers. The goal? To reduce their workload and allow them to focus on the core aspects of maintaining the quality and accuracy of the vast database.

This doesn’t mean AI is taking over the reins of content creation. The Foundation emphasizes that the AI integration is designed to *assist* human editors, not replace them. Chris Albon, the Director of Machine Learning at the Wikimedia Foundation, made it clear that the aim is not for AI to generate Wikipedia’s content, but rather to streamline tedious tasks and remove technical barriers that hinder editors’ workflow.

The AI will be leveraged to assist with tasks such as background research, translation, and onboarding new volunteers. By automating these processes, editors can dedicate more time to crucial activities like deliberation, quality control, and ensuring the information presented is accurate and unbiased.

Albon outlined a human-centered approach, prioritizing human agency, transparency, and a nuanced understanding of multilingual content. The Foundation also commits to using open-source or open-weight AI models whenever possible.

While this marks a new step, Wikipedia already utilizes AI for tasks like vandalism detection. This expansion into generative AI represents a significant effort to empower its volunteer workforce and further improve the quality and accessibility of the world’s knowledge. The integration promises to free up editors, allowing them to dedicate their expertise to the tasks that truly require human judgment and critical thinking. As Wikipedia navigates this new frontier, its commitment to human oversight remains paramount, ensuring the platform continues to be a trusted source of information for millions.