Wikipedia, long celebrated as a beacon of reliable information amidst a web increasingly saturated with toxic social media and AI-generated content, is now grappling with a significant challenge: a decline in human pageviews. According to a recent blog post by Marshall Miller of the Wikimedia Foundation, the online encyclopedia has seen an 8% year-over-year drop in human traffic. This decline was further clarified after an update to Wikipedia's bot detection systems, which revealed that much of the unusually high traffic observed in May and June was, in fact, attributable to sophisticated bots designed to evade detection.

Several factors are contributing to this shift in user engagement. Miller highlights the profound impact of generative AI and social media on how people access information. Notably, search engines are increasingly utilizing generative AI to deliver answers directly to users, circumventing the need to click through to external websites like Wikipedia. Concurrently, younger generations are demonstrating a preference for obtaining information from social video platforms rather than traditional open web sources. While Google has publicly disputed claims that AI summaries reduce search traffic, the trend observed by Wikipedia suggests a fundamental change in information consumption patterns.

Despite these changes, the Wikimedia Foundation maintains that Wikipedia's mission remains crucial. Miller states that the foundation embraces new methods for knowledge dissemination and argues that the encyclopedia's importance is undiminished, as knowledge derived from its vast repository continues to reach people, even if they do not visit the website directly. Wikipedia itself had explored integrating AI summaries, though this initiative was paused following concerns and complaints from its dedicated community of editors.

However, this evolving digital landscape presents inherent risks. A significant concern is the potential for users to become less aware of the original sources of their information. Miller cautions that fewer direct visits to Wikipedia could lead to a decrease in volunteer engagement, potentially hindering the growth and enrichment of its content, and could also result in reduced financial support from individual donors. This emphasizes the critical role of Wikipedia's remarkable volunteers, some of whom have even been reported to disarm a gunman at an editors’ conference, underscoring their dedication.

To mitigate these risks and ensure the continued vitality of the platform, Miller advocates for proactive measures. He urges AI, search, and social media companies that leverage Wikipedia's content to actively encourage more visitors to the website itself. In parallel, Wikipedia is implementing its own strategies, including the development of a new framework for attributing content sourced from the encyclopedia. The organization has also established two dedicated teams focused on reaching new readers and is actively seeking volunteers to support these efforts.

Beyond organizational initiatives, Miller encourages individuals to play a role in supporting content integrity and creation. He advises users to scrutinize information found online, specifically looking for citations and clicking through to original source material. Furthermore, he encourages discussions about the importance of trusted, human-curated knowledge, helping others understand that the content underpinning generative AI is the product of real people who merit recognition and support.