Wikipedia is experiencing a notable decline in human traffic, with pageviews dropping by 8% between May and August 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. This trend is attributed to the increasing prevalence of AI-generated search summaries and social media platforms, which provide users with direct answers without the need to visit Wikipedia. The Wikimedia Foundation has observed that users are obtaining information directly from search engines powered by platforms like Google, Bing, and ChatGPT, which often display concise answers sourced from Wikipedia without redirecting users to the actual site. (The Times of India)
Decline in Human Traffic
The 8% decrease in human pageviews signifies a substantial shift in how users access information. Marshall Miller, Senior Director of Product at Wikimedia Foundation, highlighted that this decline reflects changes in how people access information, particularly through AI search and social platforms. (Search Engine Journal)
Rise of AI-Generated Summaries
AI tools like ChatGPT and Google’s AI Overviews are increasingly providing direct answers to user queries, often utilizing Wikipedia’s content. These AI-generated summaries are displayed prominently in search results, reducing the need for users to click through to Wikipedia pages. This phenomenon, known as “zero-click searches,” is reshaping the digital information economy. (The Times of India)
Shift in User Behavior
Younger generations are favoring social video platforms over traditional search engines for information retrieval. This shift in user behavior is contributing to the decline in Wikipedia’s traffic, as users increasingly seek information through AI-powered search tools and social media platforms. (Diff)
Impact on Wikipedia’s Sustainability
The decline in traffic poses challenges for Wikipedia’s sustainability. Decreased user engagement may lead to reduced volunteer contributions and donations, which are vital for the platform’s operations. Additionally, the rise of low-quality, AI-generated content, often referred to as “AI slop,” raises concerns across industries, including law, where firms have faced penalties for its misuse. (New York Post)
Community Response and Adaptation
In response to these challenges, Wikipedia is exploring ways to adapt to the AI era. The platform is considering strategies to enhance user engagement and ensure the continued availability of free, accurate, human knowledge. However, attempts to modernize Wikipedia with AI-generated summaries were halted due to community backlash. (New York Post)
Broader Implications for the Digital Information Landscape
The decline in Wikipedia’s traffic reflects broader trends in the digital information landscape. Media entities like MailOnline have also reported significant drops in engagement due to AI overviews. Publishers are concerned that AI features, combined with search algorithm changes, are damaging the sustainability of quality journalism by reducing visibility and traffic. (New York Post)
In summary, the rise of AI-generated search summaries and shifting user behaviors are impacting Wikipedia’s traffic and sustainability. As AI continues to reshape how information is accessed, platforms like Wikipedia must adapt to maintain their relevance and support the open dissemination of knowledge.
Wikipedia is experiencing a notable decline in human traffic, with recent reports indicating an 8% drop in pageviews compared to the same period in 2024 (Observer). This trend is attributed to the increasing prevalence of AI-generated summaries and direct answers in search engine results, which often utilize Wikipedia content without redirecting users to the original articles.
Decline in Human Traffic
The Wikimedia Foundation’s analysis revealed that the decrease in traffic became evident after revising bot detection systems, which had previously masked the extent of the decline. Marshall Miller, Senior Director of Product at Wikimedia, noted that the reduction reflects broader changes in how people access information, particularly through AI search and social platforms (Search Engine Journal).
AI Summaries and Search Engines
Platforms like Google and ChatGPT now provide concise, AI-generated summaries directly in search results, reducing the need for users to visit Wikipedia. These summaries often source information from Wikipedia, but without proper attribution or traffic redirection. A Pew Research Center study found that the presence of AI-generated summaries significantly diminishes the likelihood of users clicking on traditional search result links (Observer).
AI’s Role in Content Generation
While Wikipedia has embraced AI to assist with tasks like translation and moderation, the rise of AI-generated content poses challenges. Studies indicate that a growing percentage of new Wikipedia articles contain AI-generated text, which may be of lower quality or include fabricated information (arXiv).
Wikipedia’s Response
In response to these challenges, Wikipedia’s volunteer community has intensified efforts to maintain the site’s reliability and neutrality. The organization is applying “speedy deletion” rules to quickly remove poorly written articles, especially those clearly created by AI without human review (The Verge). Additionally, the Wikimedia Foundation is exploring ways to adapt to the AI era, ensuring that its platform remains a trusted source of information.
Looking Ahead
The evolving landscape of information access, driven by AI and changing user behaviors, presents both challenges and opportunities for Wikipedia. As AI continues to play a significant role in content generation and information dissemination, Wikipedia’s ability to maintain its credibility and adapt to these changes will be crucial in sustaining its position as a leading source of knowledge.