Decline in Wikipedia Traffic: Understanding the Causes
Recent reports indicate that Wikipedia's user traffic has decreased by 8% year-on-year. This information comes from a blog post by Marshall Miller from the Wikimedia Foundation, who explained that this decline became evident after an update to the bot detection system. A significant portion of the unusually high traffic in May and June was attributed to bots designed to bypass security measures.
Miller pointed out that the main factors contributing to the decline include the rise of generative artificial intelligence and changes in information-seeking behavior. Specifically, search engines are increasingly providing answers directly in the form of AI-generated summaries, without redirecting users to websites. Additionally, younger internet users are now seeking information in the format of short videos on social media platforms.
A representative from the Wikimedia Foundation emphasized that despite these changes, the role of the encyclopedia remains significant, as its materials continue to be used as a knowledge source, even if people do not visit the site directly. However, there are risks: a reduced number of visitors may lead to fewer volunteers editing articles and decreased financial support from donors.
Wikipedia has already tested its own AI-generated summaries but halted the project after receiving criticism from editors. The organization is currently developing a new content attribution system and forming teams to attract new readers. Miller stressed that companies using Wikipedia's materials should promote user traffic back to the site.
He also urged support for the creation and integrity of informational content, highlighting the importance of referring back to original sources and noting that the data utilized by AI systems is based on the efforts of real individuals who deserve support.
Additionally, it is worth mentioning that recently, Penske Media Corporation, owner of well-known publications, filed a lawsuit against Google, alleging that its "AI Review" feature harms traffic to its sites. Google, for its part, later denied that AI-generated summaries reduce search traffic.
