Wikipedia will integrate generative AI into its editorial workflows — not to replace its volunteer editors, but to support them, the Wikimedia Foundation recently announced.

The non-profit behind the world’s largest online encyclopedia unveiled a new AI strategy aimed at reducing the manual workload of its unpaid contributors, allowing them to focus more on quality control and collaborative editing. “We will take a human-centered approach and will prioritize human agency,” the Foundation said in a blog post.

Unlike platforms such as Duolingo and Shopify, which are increasingly automating tasks once handled by humans, Wikimedia emphasized that it will not use AI to generate content. Instead, the technology will assist with repetitive duties such as translation, background research and onboarding and improve how editors access and organize information.

“For nearly 25 years, Wikipedia editors have researched, deliberated, discussed, built consensus, and collaboratively written the largest encyclopedia humankind has ever seen. Their care and commitment are something AI cannot replace,” the Foundation said.

The organization also committed to using open-source or open-weight AI tools and to maintaining transparency in implementation, reflecting its longstanding values of openness and community-driven development.