Wikipedia abandons AI article summarization due to editors' protest

In early June, the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit organization responsible for developing Wikipedia, announced the start of a two-week test of a new artificial intelligence-based feature that showed some users on smartphones a generated summary of articles. This immediately caused outrage among editors, to whom the company listened.

According to 404 Media, the Wikimedia Foundation abandoned testing on the second day after the announcement, which took place on June 2, 2025. Dissatisfied editors noted that such a feature could cause "immediate and irreversible harm" to both readers and the reputation of the entire site.

Although testing of AI results has been suspended for now, the company notes that it is still interested in using the AI feature on the site.

"As the way people use the internet changes over time, we are trying to find new ways to help new generations learn on Wikipedia to support our movement in the future. As a result, we need to figure out how we can experiment in safe ways that are acceptable to readers and the Wikimedia community. Looking back, we understand that the next step should be to provide more context for all of you and create a space for people to continue to engage," a Wikimedia spokesperson said in a statement.

At the same time, company representatives say that adding artificial intelligence to the site is an important decision, and after receiving feedback from the community, it will not be adopted without the involvement of editors.

As a reminder, in May, Wikipedia announced the introduction of artificial intelligence for use in areas where generative AI has had some success. In particular, the technology is being used to moderate the site and improve the accessibility of information on the platform so that editors have more time for "human discussions, judgments, and consensus-building."