The Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit organization behind Wikipedia, is experiencing a dangerous decline in human traffic. The foundation attributes this to generative AI chatbots and search engines summarizing Wikipedia content directly for users. Emanuel Maiberg reports for 404 Media. This trend means people get information without visiting the online encyclopedia, which threatens its long-term sustainability.
According to the foundation, fewer visits could lead to a reduction in the number of volunteers who create and update articles. It could also result in fewer donations, which the platform relies on to operate.
After improving its systems for detecting automated bot traffic, Wikimedia observed an 8% decrease in human pageviews compared to the same period in 2024. Ironically, while AI is siphoning traffic, large language models heavily depend on Wikipedia’s data for their training. Search engines have also long used its content for information panels, which keeps users from clicking through to the source.
In response, the foundation is developing new policies and technical capabilities for third-party data use. It is also expanding its presence on platforms like TikTok and YouTube to reach younger audiences. The organization urges the public to support the project by clicking through to original sources to ensure human-created knowledge remains sustainable.
