The Wikimedia Foundation, which operates Wikipedia, has reported a notable drop in the number of people visiting the online encyclopedia.
This decline is attributed to the fact that many users are now accessing Wikipedia’s information through generative AI chatbots and search engines that summarize content without directing users to the site itself.
According to the Foundation, this trend poses a threat to Wikipedia’s long-term viability. They expressed that while they appreciate new methods for accessing knowledge, it’s crucial for AI chatbots and search engines to drive more traffic to Wikipedia. This is essential for maintaining the free knowledge that many rely on and ensuring its continued availability.
Interestingly, even though AI and search engines are reducing direct visits to Wikipedia, the value of its data has increased significantly for these platforms.
Wikipedia’s articles serve as a primary source of training data for many AI models, and companies like Google have long used Wikipedia content to create their Snippets and Knowledge Panels, which further diverts traffic from Wikipedia.
Miller noted that in May 2025, Wikipedia observed an unusual spike in what appeared to be human traffic, predominantly from Brazil. While he didn’t provide specific details, this led the Foundation to enhance its bot detection systems.
After these updates, Wikipedia reported a decline in human pageviews over recent months, estimating an 8% drop compared to the same period in 2024.
This decrease is believed to reflect the influence of generative AI and social media on how people look for information, particularly as search engines now offer answers directly based on Wikipedia content.
Miller explained that Wikipedia has established guidelines for third-party bots that access its content, which include requirements for identification and adherence to its robots.txt file, as well as limits on request rates.
He added that while they cannot disclose specific methods for blocking and identifying bots, recent adjustments to their data revealed a significant increase in unexpected traffic, particularly from one region.
Upon investigation, they found a new type of bot behavior designed to mimic human activity. Consequently, they updated their detection systems and re-evaluated previous months’ data, which indicated a drop in human pageviews.
The Foundation’s findings are consistent with recent research from the Pew Research Center, which revealed that only 1% of Google searches led users to click on the links provided in AI-generated summaries.
Earlier, the Foundation had reported challenges with AI scrapers, which have also affected libraries and museums. Wikipedia editors are also aware of the potential risks that generative AI poses to the reliability of articles if not properly managed.
The graph illustrates the trend of human pageviews across all language versions of Wikipedia since September 2021, with revisions made since April 2025.
Miller stated that these declines were anticipated. He noted that search engines increasingly utilize generative AI to directly answer users’ queries instead of linking to sites like Wikipedia.
Additionally, younger audiences are turning to social media platforms for information rather than traditional web searches. This shift is not just affecting Wikipedia; many other content providers are experiencing similar trends as users spend more time on AI chatbots and social media for information.
To address these challenges, the Foundation is implementing policies, creating frameworks for proper attribution, and developing new technical capabilities to ensure responsible access and reuse of Wikipedia content.
They are also working to strengthen partnerships with search engines and other major users of their content. Furthermore, Miller mentioned efforts to engage younger audiences through platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Roblox, and Instagram.
Despite these initiatives, Miller urged users to engage in online behaviors that support the integrity of content creation.
He encouraged people to seek out original sources when searching for information online, emphasizing the importance of citations.
He also suggested discussing with friends the value of trusted, human-curated knowledge and recognizing that the content behind generative AI is produced by real individuals who deserve support.
Other Stories You May Like