Wikipedia has experienced an 8% decrease in user traffic over the past year. This was highlighted in a blog post by Marshall Miller from the Wikimedia Foundation, who noted that the decline became apparent after an update to their bot detection system. According to Miller, a significant portion of the unusually high traffic in May and June was driven by bots circumventing protective measures.
The main factors behind this decline include the rise of generative artificial intelligence and changes in how people search for information. Search engines increasingly provide direct answers without redirecting users to websites. Additionally, younger internet users now prefer to find information in the form of short videos on social media platforms.
A representative from the Wikimedia Foundation emphasized that despite these circumstances, the encyclopedia's role remains significant, as its materials are still utilized as knowledge sources, even if users don't visit the site directly. However, there are risks: a reduced number of visitors could lead to fewer volunteers editing articles and a decrease in financial support from donors.
Wikipedia has tested its own AI summaries but paused the project after receiving criticism from editors. Currently, the organization is developing a new system for content attribution and forming teams to attract new readers. Miller stressed that companies using Wikipedia's materials should encourage users to visit the site itself.
He also urged for the support of the creation and integrity of informational content by going back to primary sources, reminding that the data used by AI systems come from the work of real people who deserve support.
Recently, Penske Media Corporation, which owns well-known publications like Rolling Stone, Variety, and Billboard, filed a lawsuit against Google, accusing it of unfairly using the "AI Overview" feature that appears in search results. Penske Media believes this feature undermines traffic to its websites and negatively impacts profits. Google, in turn, later denied that AI-generated summaries reduce search traffic.
