Wikipedia bans AI-generated articles

Emma Roth

is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO.

Wikipedia will no longer allow editors to write or rewrite articles using AI. The update, which was added to Wikipedia’s guidelines late last week, cites the tendency for AI-written articles to violate “several of Wikipedia’s core content policies” as the reason for the ban.

The change applies to the English version of Wikipedia and will still allow editors to use AI in certain scenarios. That includes using large language models to “suggest basic copyedits” to their writing, but only if it “does not introduce content of its own.” Editors can also use AI to translate articles from another language’s Wikipedia into English. However, they still must follow the site’s rules on LLM-assisted translations, which require editors to have enough knowledge of the original language to confirm the accuracy of the translation.

The new policy warns that some people “may have similar writing styles to LLMs,” and editors will need to find more than just “stylistic or linguistic signs” to justify potential restrictions on their editing capabilities. “It is best to consider the text’s compliance with core content policies and recent edits by the editor in question,” the guidelines state.

Wikipedia editors have been contending with AI-generated articles for months now, leading the community to implement a new policy to allow for the “speedy deletion” of poorly written articles. Editors also formed WikiProject AI Cleanup, an initiative meant to combat AI-written content and help others identify it.

This most recent change to Wikipedia’s guidelines was proposed by Chaotic Enby, sparking a lengthy discussion between editors. The proposal eventually passed with “overwhelming support,” concluding that the policy “targets blatantly problematic issues with LLM use, while still giving leeway for what are seen as decent uses for it.”

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• Emma Roth