Wikipedia will no longer allow editors to use AI to write or rewrite articles. The update, added to Wikipedia’s guidelines late last week, cited the tendency of AI-written articles to violate “some of Wikipedia’s core content policies” as the reason for the ban.
This change applies to the English version of Wikipedia, and editors can continue to use AI in certain scenarios. This includes using an extensive language model to “suggest basic copyedits” to a text, but only if it “does not introduce any unique content.” Editors can also use AI to translate Wikipedia articles from another language into English. However, the site’s rules regarding LLM-assisted translation must be followed, and the editor must have sufficient knowledge of the source language to check the accuracy of the translation.
The new policy warns that some people “may have similar writing styles to LLMs” and that editors need to look for more than just “stylistic or linguistic markings” to justify potential restrictions on editing ability. “It is best to ensure that the text complies with key content policies and takes into account recent edits by the editor in question,” the guidelines state.
Wikipedia editors have been grappling with AI-generated articles in recent months, with the community leading the way in introducing a new policy that allows for the “rapid removal” of inappropriately written articles. The editors also founded the WikiProject AI Cleanup, an initiative aimed at combating content written with AI and helping others identify it.
This latest change to Wikipedia’s guidelines was proposed by Chaotic Enby and sparked a lengthy debate among editors. The proposal was ultimately passed with “overwhelming support,” concluding that the policy “targets blatantly problematic issues regarding the use of LLM, while still providing scope for what is considered an appropriate use.”
