Academics have a duty to defend open knowledge systems like Wikipedia (blogs.lse.ac.uk)

Helen Choi argues that academics have an ethical obligation to defend Wikipedia against existential threats posed by generative AI companies, which divert traffic away from the platform. As the most widely consulted reference work, Wikipedia relies on a volunteer community for content creation and maintenance. However, the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini often presents immediate answers to users without directing them to the source material. This lack of engagement can lead to a decline in Wikipedia’s readership, undermining the mission of its community to share knowledge for the public good. Furthermore, many AI companies improperly scrape Wikipedia content or use paid API access to leverage its wealth of information, further exacerbating the platform's vulnerabilities. By promoting engagement with Wikipedia, academia can counteract these challenges. Academics are uniquely positioned to enhance the quality of Wikipedia by correcting errors and filling content gaps, given their expertise and access to high-quality sources. In addition, they can encourage future generations of scholars to contribute by incorporating Wikipedia into their curricula. This not only enriches students' information literacy but also revitalizes Wikipedia’s contributor base. Recognizing and supporting this engagement at institutional levels is vital; universities must credit public service work like Wikipedia contributions to reaffirm their role as knowledge stewards. Ultimately, fostering a collaborative relationship with Wikipedia can help bolster public trust in academia and ensure the sustainability of this vital open knowledge resource.