Khaberni - The "Wikimedia" Foundation - responsible for the online open encyclopedia "Wikipedia" - has requested artificial intelligence developers to use its paid API for commercial uses, describing this practice as a responsible use of the available data, according to a report published by the tech site "TechCrunch".
This demand comes after the open encyclopedia has suffered a significant decrease in visitor numbers since the beginning of the generative AI era and the spread of chat tools enhanced with this new technology.
The Foundation - in a blog post on its official site - explained that using Wikipedia's paid interface allows AI tools and developers to benefit from all the materials available in the encyclopedia and to use Wikipedia's servers unlimitedly.
Wikipedia also noted that using the paid interface is a straightforward way for AI companies to contribute to the nonprofit mission of the encyclopedia.
It added, "To have people trust the information shared online, platforms need to clarify the source of the information and increase opportunities for visiting those sources and participating in them, with decreased visits to Wikipedia. There might be fewer volunteers working on developing and enriching content, and potentially fewer individual donors supporting this work."
The report indicates that Wikipedia has improved its AI detection tools in recent months and noted that many AI bots are now trying to appear human to avoid these new restrictions.
The Foundation did not mention any legal consequences or penalties related to the use of AI tools for its content but highlighted that continuing this practice poses a risk to the sustainability of the encyclopedia.
Earlier this year, Wikipedia explained its plan to use AI tools to assist its editors and facilitate work, using translation and direct automation tools.
It is worth mentioning that American inventor Elon Musk recently revealed "Grokpedia," a competing version of the "Wikipedia" encyclopedia that directly relies on the artificial intelligence tool "Grook".
