Grokepedia an unrealistic idea that won’t work: Wikipedia Co-founder at AI Summit

Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales dismissed AI-driven platforms like ‘Grokepedia’ as unrealistic, emphasizing Wikipedia’s reliance on human collaboration, transparency, and attribution, while noting AI’s rise and India’s potential in the evolving technology landscape

New Delhi: Dismissing comparisons between Wikipedia and emerging AI-driven knowledge platforms, Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales on Wednesday said the idea of a so-called ‘Grokepedia’ is unrealistic and there is ‘no competition’ between Wikipedia and such experiments.

Speaking during a session at the India AI Impact Summit here, Wales made it clear that attempts to replicate Wikipedia through artificial intelligence tools misunderstand how the platform works. He stressed that Wikipedia is built on human collaboration, transparency and verifiable sources, which cannot simply be replaced by automated systems.

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Wales also raised concerns about artificial intelligence platforms failing to give proper credit to original sources. He said that providing attribution is not just a technical issue but an ethical responsibility in the digital age.

“AI systems so far have not performed well when it comes to acknowledging where information comes from,” Wales stated. At the same time, he acknowledged that the way people access and consume information is rapidly changing.

Wales revealed that Wikipedia has seen an 8 per cent decline in human traffic. He described the drop as “a disaster,” but added that it reflects a broader transformation in online behaviour, where users increasingly rely on AI tools and instant summaries instead of directly visiting websites.

Despite these challenges, Wales said India is especially well positioned to benefit from the rise of artificial intelligence. He pointed to the country’s strong IT ecosystem and large pool of skilled technology professionals as key advantages in the AI era.

On the issue of jobs and automation, Wales said artificial intelligence will make certain skills more valuable because people will be able to complete tasks faster and more efficiently. However, he cautioned that the world is currently going through a period of “great flux and great change.” While some professions may decline, he said it is difficult to predict exactly which ones will be most affected.

Wales, an American internet entrepreneur and former financial trader, is best known for co-founding Wikipedia, the world’s largest free online encyclopedia, as well as Fandom, a for-profit wiki hosting service.