Wikipedia loses 8% of human traffic as generative AI and social platforms change user habits

The free online encyclopedia tool, Wikipedia, has reported an 8 per cent decline in human pageviews compared with the same period in 2024, as generative AI, search engines, and social media platforms increasingly provide answers without directing users to the site. The Wikimedia Foundation, which operates the online data platform, highlighted in a blog post on 17 October that evolving internet trends and sophisticated bot traffic are reshaping how people access information globally.

Human traffic reassessed

The Foundation explained that its algorithms classify site traffic as human or bot, allowing accurate measurement of genuine user engagement. In May 2025, unusually high apparent human traffic, mostly from Brazil, prompted a review of bot detection systems. Updated classification revealed that much of this traffic between May and June was generated by bots attempting to mimic human behaviour.

AI and social media changing information-seeking habits

Wikipedia’s report links the decline in pageviews to broader shifts in how people consume knowledge. Search engines and AI chatbots increasingly deliver direct answers derived from Wikipedia content, while younger users are turning to social video platforms rather than the open web. Despite these trends, Wikipedia remains a key source for large language models and other AI-driven platforms, ensuring that volunteer-created content continues to reach audiences worldwide even if users do not visit the site directly.

Reduced traffic threatens volunteer growth

The Foundation stressed that reduced traffic threatens volunteer growth and donor support, both critical for maintaining Wikipedia’s standards of neutrality, verifiability, and transparency. It called on AI companies, search engines, and social platforms to promote Wikipedia as a source, encouraging visits and participation in the free knowledge ecosystem.

Response to changing internet

In response, the Wikimedia Foundation is taking several initiatives:

Wikipedia urged users to support content integrity by citing sources and engaging with original material. Volunteers are encouraged to participate in testing new tools, reviewing experiments, and helping shape Wikipedia’s future while maintaining the platform’s human-centred, free knowledge ethos.