As AI moves into the world of editorial and media, websites are scrambling to establish ground rules for its use. This week, Wikipedia banned editors from using AI-generated text, but stopped short of completely banning AI from the site’s editorial process.
In a recent policy change, the site now states that “the use of LLM to generate or rewrite article content is prohibited.” This new language updates and clarifies previously vague language that stated that LLM “should not be used to generate new Wikipedia articles from scratch.”
AI in Wikipedia articles is a topic of debate among the site’s growing community of volunteer-led editors. The new policy was put to a vote by the site’s editors and received a 40-2 majority vote, 404 Media reported.
That said, the new policy still leaves room for continued use of AI in some editorial processes.
The new policy states: “Editors are permitted to use LLM to suggest basic copy edits to their writing and incorporate portions of it after human review, unless LLM introduces original content.” “LLM should be used with caution, as it may change the meaning of the text beyond the user’s request and in a way that is not supported by the cited sources.”
