“Yuck”: Wikipedia pauses AI summaries after editor revolt

The test grew out of a discussion at Wikimedia’s 2024 conference.

Generative AI is permeating the Internet, with chatbots and AI summaries popping up faster than we can keep track. Even Wikipedia, the vast repository of knowledge famously maintained by an army of volunteer human editors, is looking to add robots to the mix. The site began testing AI summaries in some articles over the past week, but the project has been frozen after editors voiced their opinions. And that opinion is: "yuck."

The seeds of this project were planted at Wikimedia's 2024 conference, where foundation representatives and editors discussed how AI could advance Wikipedia's mission. The wiki on the so-called "Simple Article Summaries" notes that the editors who participated in the discussion believed the summaries could improve learning on Wikipedia.

According to 404 Media, Wikipedia announced the opt-in AI pilot on June 2, which was set to run for two weeks on the mobile version of the site. The summaries appeared at the top of select articles in a collapsed form. Users had to tap to expand and read the full summary. The AI text also included a highlighted "Unverified" badge.

Feedback from the larger community of editors was immediate and harsh. Some of the first comments were simply "yuck," with others calling the addition of AI a "ghastly idea" and "PR hype stunt."

Others expounded on the issues with adding AI to Wikipedia, citing a potential loss of trust in the site. Editors work together to ensure articles are accurate, featuring verifiable information and a neutral point of view. However, nothing is certain when you put generative AI in the driver's seat. "I feel like people seriously underestimate the brand risk this sort of thing has," said one editor. "Wikipedia's brand is reliability, traceability of changes, and 'anyone can fix it.' AI is the opposite of these things."

An example of Wikipedia's Simple Article Summaries.

Credit: Wikipedia

Multiple comments question the underlying usefulness of Simple Article Summaries on Wikipedia. The amazing breadth of Wikipedia means that there are countless articles covering advanced technical topics, but the editors strive to make it accessible. The site's guidelines state that the lead section of articles should summarize the content of articles, giving the "basics in a nutshell." Many editors pointed out that the addition of AI summaries is simply redundant. "Leads are already a shortened version of a page," said one of the editors. "The best leads have been carefully crafted by dozens of editors and represent some of the best content in the world."

Wikipedia has confirmed it is pulling the summary test while it evaluates the deluge of feedback it has received from the editors who make the site work. "Reading through the comments, it’s clear we could have done a better job introducing this idea and opening up the conversation here on VPT back in March," a Wikimedia Foundation manager told 404 Media. VPT refers to village pump technical, a forum where the foundation and community members discuss technical issues on the site.

This probably won't be the last spirited discussion about Wikipedia's use of AI. Foundation representatives have confirmed they are still interested in finding ways to integrate generative AI into the Wikipedia experience, but they need buy-in from editors. If the initial reaction is any clue, that's going to be tough.

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