At 25, Wikipedia faces its biggest threat yet: AI

ZDNET examines Wikipedia’s 25-year journey from a Nupedia offshoot to a globally relied-on, ad-free, volunteer-run encyclopedia, detailing its balance between openness and reliability, the community’s ongoing battles against bias, edit wars, and undisclosed paid editing, and the rising pressures from AI—such as search overviews and chatbots—that are reducing traffic and complicating editor recruitment; it also outlines Wikimedia’s efforts with partnerships, tools, and cautious AI assistance to sustain participation, integrity, and relevance in the years ahead.