Overview
- New guidance asks AI developers to access Wikipedia at scale via the paid Wikimedia Enterprise service instead of scraping the live site.
- The Foundation has not threatened legal action, making the appeal voluntary and leaving whether companies will comply uncertain.
- An internal review found traffic spikes in May and June were driven by AI bots attempting to evade detection rather than by real readers.
- Human pageviews declined 8% year over year, which the Foundation warns could weaken donations and discourage volunteer editors.
- Wikimedia emphasizes clear attribution to credit human contributors and says paid access both reduces server strain and supports its nonprofit mission.