Wikipedia, long regarded as one of the internet’s most reliable sources of information, is witnessing a noticeable decline in its human readership. The Wikimedia Foundation has reported an 8% year-over-year drop in pageviews, attributing the decline to changing online behaviors driven by AI-powered search tools and social media platforms.
According to Marshall Miller of the Wikimedia Foundation, the reduction in traffic became more apparent after improvements were made to bot detection systems. Earlier traffic spikes, once thought to reflect growing engagement, were revealed to be the result of automated bots designed to bypass detection filters. The adjustment exposed a clear drop in genuine user activity.
However, beyond technical causes, Miller highlighted a fundamental shift in how people access knowledge. He explained that search engines are increasingly using generative AI models to provide direct answers to user queries — meaning fewer people click through to external sources like Wikipedia. At the same time, younger audiences are gravitating toward short-form video platforms for quick, visually engaging explanations instead of traditional text-based browsing.
While Google has disputed claims that AI summaries reduce referral traffic, industry analysts note a growing trend: AI-generated search responses and social media-driven content are reshaping the digital information ecosystem. As people rely more on instant answers, fewer are engaging directly with websites that host original information.
Despite the decline in pageviews, Wikipedia’s influence remains substantial. A significant portion of the data used by AI chatbots and search algorithms originates from Wikipedia’s volunteer-edited articles. As Miller emphasized, “Knowledge sourced from the encyclopedia is still reaching people, even if they don’t visit the website directly.”
Interestingly, Wikipedia had experimented with AI-driven summaries of its own but paused the project after community editors raised concerns over transparency and accuracy. The foundation is now working to establish clearer frameworks ensuring that its content is properly credited when used by AI systems and search engines.
The decline in traffic also raises long-term sustainability challenges. Fewer visits can mean fewer volunteer editors — the individuals who write, edit, and fact-check articles — and potentially fewer small donations that keep the nonprofit platform operational. Miller warned that reduced engagement could eventually impact both content quality and community participation.
To counter this, the Wikimedia Foundation has launched initiatives to re-engage readers and strengthen its content ecosystem. Dedicated teams are developing outreach strategies and partnerships that encourage users to click through to the original sources of information rather than relying solely on AI-generated summaries.
Miller urged readers to consciously support human-curated knowledge. “When searching online, look for citations and click through to the original material,” he advised. He also encouraged AI and search platforms to ensure that their use of Wikipedia data drives visitors back to the site, maintaining the balance between automation and human contribution.
