Since its creation in 2001, Wikipedia has established itself as an essential reference for accessing reliable, accessible knowledge. Yet in 2025, the collaborative encyclopedia is seeing a notable drop in traffic, with an 8% decline in human visits between March and August, according to a Wikimedia Foundation report published on October 17, 2025.
This decline, compared with the same period in 2024, raises a question: is the rise of artificial intelligence pulling internet users away from Wikipedia?
AI uses Wikipedia: a striking irony
AI, now everywhere in our digital lives, owes a lot to Wikipedia. Models like ChatGPT, Claude, or Google Gemini were trained on massive data corpora, a significant share of which comes from the collaborative encyclopedia. The reliability and richness of Wikipedia articles make it a go-to source for feeding these algorithms.
Yet this dependence hasn’t translated into renewed popularity for the site. Quite the opposite: users seem to be turning away from the platform, preferring alternatives that feel more immediate or appealing.
Social media and videos, the new kings of information
The first reason for this disengagement lies in changing online habits, especially among younger users. Digital-native generations increasingly turn to platforms like TikTok, YouTube, or Instagram to stay informed. These spaces favor short, visual, dynamic formats—far from Wikipedia’s detailed text-based articles.
A search on the history of the French Revolution or a math exercise now turns up answers in the form of concise videos or striking infographics, often more appealing to an audience used to consuming information quickly.
AI in search engines: direct access, but at the expense of sources?
The second explanation lies in how search engines themselves are evolving. With the integration of features like Google’s AI Mode, users get AI-generated answers directly in search results, without needing to click through to a source like Wikipedia. These answers, though often based on the encyclopedia’s content, don’t consistently link back to the original site. The result: people access information without ever visiting Wikipedia, depriving the platform of traffic.
A challenge for Wikipedia’s future
This drop in traffic raises questions about Wikipedia’s future. While the encyclopedia remains an essential source for AI systems and researchers, its visibility with the general public could continue to erode. The Wikimedia Foundation may need to rethink its model to adapt to these new uses—by investing, for example, in more interactive formats or strengthening its presence on social media.
One thing is certain: in a world where AI and digital platforms are redefining access to information, Wikipedia will need to find a way to remain not only relevant, but also visible. In the meantime, the irony remains: the encyclopedia that fuels artificial intelligences risks becoming an invisible source, eclipsed by the tools it helped create.
Source: Diff.wikipedia.org
