https://techcrunch.com/2025/10/18/wikipedia-says-traffic-is-falling-due-to-ai-search-summaries-and-social-video/ [tc-lockup] TechCrunch Desktop Logo [tc-lo] TechCrunch Mobile Logo * Latest * Startups * Venture * Apple * Security * AI * Apps * Disrupt 2025 * Events * Podcasts * Newsletters Search [ ]Submit * Site Search Toggle Mega Menu Toggle Topics Latest AI Amazon Apps Biotech & Health Climate Cloud Computing Commerce Crypto Enterprise EVs Fintech Fundraising Gadgets Gaming Google Government & Policy Hardware Instagram Layoffs Media & Entertainment Meta Microsoft Privacy Robotics Security Social Space Startups TikTok Transportation Venture More from TechCrunch Staff Events Startup Battlefield StrictlyVC Newsletters Podcasts Videos Partner Content TechCrunch Brand Studio Crunchboard Contact Us Wikipedia logoImage Credits:Nikolas Kokovlis / NurPhoto / Getty Images AI Wikipedia says traffic is falling due to AI search summaries and social video Anthony Ha 12:00 PM PDT * October 18, 2025 Wikipedia is often described as the last good website on an internet increasingly filled with toxic social media and AI slop. But it seems the online encyclopedia is not completely immune to broader trends, with human page views falling 8% year-over-year, according to a new blog post from Marshall Miller of the Wikimedia Foundation. The foundation works to distinguish between traffic from humans and bots, and Miller writes that the decline "over the past few months" was revealed after an update to Wikipedia's bot-detection systems appeared to show that "much of the unusually high traffic for the period of May and June was coming from bots that were built to evade detection." Why is traffic falling? Miller points to "the impact of generative AI and social media on how people seek information," particularly as "search engines are increasingly using generative AI to provide answers directly to searchers rather than linking to sites like ours" and as "younger generations are seeking information on social video platforms rather than the open web." (Google has disputed the claim that AI summaries reduce traffic from search.) Miller says the foundation welcomes "new ways for people to gain knowledge" and argues this doesn't make Wikipedia any less important, since knowledge sourced from the encyclopedia is still reaching people even if they don't visit the website. Wikipedia even experimented with AI summaries of its own, though it paused the effort after editors complained. But this shift does present risks, particularly if people are becoming less aware of where their information actually comes from. As Miller puts it, "With fewer visits to Wikipedia, fewer volunteers may grow and enrich the content, and fewer individual donors may support this work." (Some of those volunteers are truly remarkable, reportedly disarming a gunman at a Wikipedia editors' conference on Friday.) For that reason, he argues that AI, search, and social companies using content from Wikipedia "must encourage more visitors" to the website itself. And he says Wikipedia is taking steps of its own -- for example, by developing a new framework for attributing content from the encyclopedia. The organization also has two teams tasked with helping Wikipedia reach new readers, and it's looking for volunteers to help. Techcrunch event 2-FOR-1 DISCOUNT: Bring a +1 and save 60% Google Cloud, Netflix, Microsoft, Box, Phia, a16z, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Hugging Face, Elad Gil, Vinod Khosla -- some of the 250+ heavy hitters leading 200+ sessions designed to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. And don't miss 300+ showcasing startups in all sectors. Bring a +1 and save 60% on their pass, or get your pass by Oct 27 to save up to $444. 2-FOR-1 DISCOUNT: Bring a +1 and save 60% Google Cloud, Netflix, Microsoft, Box, Phia, a16z, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Hugging Face, Elad Gil, Vinod Khosla -- some of the 250+ heavy hitters leading 200+ sessions designed to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. And don't miss 300+ showcasing startups in all sectors. Bring a +1 and save 60% on their pass, or get your pass by Oct 27 to save up to $444. San Francisco | October 27-29, 2025 REGISTER NOW Miller also encourages readers to "support content integrity and content creation" more broadly. "When you search for information online, look for citations and click through to the original source material," he writes. "Talk with the people you know about the importance of trusted, human curated knowledge, and help them understand that the content underlying generative AI was created by real people who deserve their support." Topics AI, Media & Entertainment, Social, Wikimedia Foundation, Wikipedia Anthony Ha Anthony Ha Anthony Ha is TechCrunch's weekend editor. Previously, he worked as a tech reporter at Adweek, a senior editor at VentureBeat, a local government reporter at the Hollister Free Lance, and vice president of content at a VC firm. He lives in New York City. You can contact or verify outreach from Anthony by emailing anthony.ha@techcrunch.com. View Bio Event Logo October 27-29, 2025 San Francisco Bring a +1 and save 60% Have a +1 you'd like to bring to Disrupt? Bring them along and save 60% on their pass. Or get up to 30% off on group passes. Join 10,000 founders, investors, and tech leaders -- and save when you come together to the tech epicenter of the year. 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