Wikipedia Bans the Use of Large Language Models
The Wikimedia Foundation and volunteers decided to ban text generation starting in March 2026 because AI content violates core principles.
Following long-standing discussions regarding the impacts of AI technologies on the platform, Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation made a sweeping decision in March 2026 to completely ban content writing using large language models.
Initial Approaches to the AI Process
The Wikipedia community had prepared before the AI storm broke, thinking that this technology would be temporary.
It was hoped that large language models would assist humans by automating routine tasks such as citation and formatting.
Warnings and Research
Former Wikimedia Foundation executive Katherine Maher had pointed out in 2019 that AI could create major problems in the absence of human involvement.
A study conducted by Princeton University in October 2024 revealed that five percent of newly created English articles contained AI content.
The March 2026 Decision and Limitations
Due to AI content violating Wikipedia's core principles, text writing was banned in March 2026.
The role of large language models was restricted solely to translation and minor proofreading operations.