Wikimedia Foundation announces new AI partnerships (techcrunch.com)

The Wikimedia Foundation has announced new partnerships with major AI technology firms, including Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, Mistral AI, and Perplexity, coinciding with its 25th anniversary celebrations. These collaborations expand the foundation's commercial product, Wikimedia Enterprise, which facilitates large-scale access to Wikipedia content for tech companies. This strategic move is vital for Wikipedia's sustainability, as its vast wealth of knowledge is increasingly leveraged by AI models to generate quick, accurate answers for users. By monetizing access to its extensive database, Wikimedia aims to ensure its continued operation amid the evolving digital landscape. The announcement underscores the significance of human-curated knowledge in an AI-driven world, with Wikimedia’s Chief Product Officer noting that “knowledge is human, and knowledge needs humans.” As Wikipedia garners nearly 15 billion views monthly across over 65 million articles, these partnerships not only offer tech companies essential data at scale but also position Wikipedia as a critical resource for reliable information. In conjunction with these partnerships, the foundation revealed a birthday campaign featuring a docuseries about volunteers and a live event on January 15, showcasing its commitment to preserving human-powered knowledge while adapting to the demands of modern technology.