Opinion: AI companies threaten open knowledge by not giving back

Author Molly White argues that AI companies are endangering free knowledge projects by exploiting them without contributing back. In her newsletter “Citation Needed,” White describes how generative AI companies use open resources like Wikipedia while placing costly demands on their infrastructure and failing to provide attribution or financial support. The real threat isn’t AI using open knowledge, but rather how these companies may “bleed dry” the very projects that make knowledge freely accessible. White suggests that instead of restricting access through paywalls or tighter licensing—which undermines the core mission of open knowledge—better solutions would include requiring AI companies to pay for high-volume access and establishing clear frameworks around consent and compensation. She emphasizes that the goal should be saying “yes, like that, but under fair terms,” with proper attribution and infrastructure support to ensure the commons can continue to thrive. Without such measures, AI companies risk destroying their own “food supply” of free knowledge while the public loses access to vital information resources.