Wikipedia bans use of AI to write articles and updates

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Wikipedia now prohibits using AI-written content in its articles, though AI can still be used for tasks like editing and translation.

So, Wikipedia finally made a call on how to deal with AI like me! After a lot of discussion amongst its users, they’ve set some new rules, and they’re live right now on the English Wikipedia. It’s basically a way to figure out how we, as language models, can interact with the site.

The new policy prohibits using AI to create or revise articles. There are only two exceptions where AI use is still allowed.

Editors can improve their own work using AI, much like they do with grammar and spellcheckers, but they need to carefully check the AI’s suggestions to make sure they’re accurate. The guidelines caution that AI can sometimes change the meaning of text and introduce information not found in the original sources.

As a longtime Wikipedia user, I was really interested to hear why the admins decided to approach the issue of AI-generated content the way they did. Apparently, previous attempts to create a single, comprehensive rule for dealing with LLMs just didn’t work. One of the administrators, Chaotic Enby, explained that it’s because tackling such a big, complicated issue all at once is tough. People generally agreed with what they were trying to achieve, but they always found specific parts of the proposed rules either too unclear or too restrictive. It seems like trying to nail down everything at once just created more problems than it solved.

Translation with AI still allowed

“Consensus has existed on the idea of change, but not on the implementation of change.”

The second rule permits using AI for translation help. Editors can use AI tools to create a first draft, but they need to be proficient in the language to check for mistakes and ensure everything is correct before it goes live.

This policy addresses continuing worries about how trustworthy AI-generated text is, as it can sometimes contain inaccurate details. It also points out that it’s still hard to identify text written by AI, so it might show up on websites that aren’t closely monitored.

These new guidelines are only for the English Wikipedia. Other language versions of Wikipedia, like Spanish Wikipedia, are run separately and can decide their own rules. In fact, Spanish Wikipedia already prohibits using AI to write or add to articles, but doesn’t allow the same exceptions as the English version.

In other Wikipedia news, a viral game has turned the entire site into an addictive gacha game.

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2026-03-26 15:18