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The English language version of Wikipedia has more than 7.1m
articles. Photograph: Boris Roessler/EPA
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The English language version of Wikipedia has more than 7.1m
articles. Photograph: Boris Roessler/EPA
Wikipedia

Wikipedia bans AI-generated content in its online encyclopedia

Ban includes two exceptions: AI can still be used for translations,
and to make minor copy edits


Oliver Milman

Fri 27 Mar 2026 09.19 EDTLast modified on Fri 27 Mar 2026 09.46 EDT
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Wikipedia has banned the use of artificial intelligence in the
generation or rewriting of content for its voluminous online
encyclopedia.

In a recent policy change, Wikipedia said that the use of large
language models (or LLMs) "often violates" its core principles and
will not be allowed. The English language version of Wikipedia has
more than 7.1m articles.

The use of AI has been a contentious issue among Wikipedia's
community of volunteer editors but a vote among the site's editors
supported the ban, according to 404 Media.

There are two exceptions to the new ban: AI can still be used for
translations, and to make minor copy edits.

"Editors are permitted to use LLMs to suggest basic copyedits to
their own writing, and to incorporate some of them after human
review, provided the LLM does not introduce content of its own," the
new policy states.

"Caution is required, because LLMs can go beyond what you ask of them
and change the meaning of the text such that it is not supported by
the sources cited."

The use of AI to find out basic information has proliferated to the
point that ChatGPT reportedly overtook Wikipedia in monthly website
visits last year.

AI has also been embedded into web searches and email writing
suggestions by tech companies. However, AI can still throw up
misleading or "hallucinated" results, a situation that Jimmy Wales,
founder of Wikipedia, has previously called a "mess".

Last year, Wales said that AI could help with some aspects of
Wikipedia, it wouldn't be used to draft articles, at least for now.
"I wouldn't say absolutely never, but at least not in the short run,"
Wales told the BBC. "The latest models are still, from a Wikipedian
standpoint, nowhere near good enough."

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