When it comes to generative Ai and large language models in Wikipedia there is a lot to consider. On one hand, the use of these ai services can provide quick and easy fixes to things such as grammar or even filling in information and content. But one of Wikipedia’s big focal points is the community that is built through interaction of its writers and editors. Its important to understand that both sides obviously have their pros and cons, in my opinion I feel its easiest for Wikipedia to steer clear of the implementation of Ai and large language as it takes away from their core values of community and reliability. But at the same time, I also understand how useful AI can be.

When working on our wiki project one of the main takeaways I felt from a Wikipedia stand point was the pride and sense of community that comes with being a Wikipedia user. One thing we talked about in class was how if you allow Ai into communities like this it can demotivate writers and editors as their hard work can be outdone in a matter of seconds. This takes away from the human aspect and wiki norms that are currently holding the website together. Things such as talk pages and interacting with others is In my opinion what makes the best product. Using Ai I feel like greatly takes away from that.

I do think although It would be best to stay away from Ai in Wikipedia’s case, that’s not necessarily the most realistic in the modern world. My actionable advice to navigate this situation is firstly that Ai is only used to assist in writing and editing and not to actually do the work for you. By this I mean you cannot copy directly from Ai but rather use it as a tool. Another piece of advice for Wikipedia would be to require some sort of verification that Ai was used on pages that utilized ai. This way readers can be aware, as well as it gives more credit to those pages who did not use Ai. Understanding that Wikipedia is a place where people go to read and learn from reliable sources as well as interact in a community means making sure that ai usage is understood and not used to take away from what makes Wikipedia unique.

One term I really wanted to highlight to understand why the limiting of Ai is so important is ecology. We can think of Wikipedia as an environment and the editors and writers as organisms. If we put too much ai into this environment it wipes out our editors and writers who rely on each other. Thus causing the editors and writers who hold together and make Wikipedia what it is to die out. That is why managing our Ai usage is so important.

I also think what makes Wikipedia is so great is that humans have so many weird and unique interests. Wikipedia has a page for pretty much anything. This means that anybody can find their niche and find community. Having a platform that so easily promotes and newcomers, specifically self selection is what has kept Wikipedia as such a popular platform.

It is important that we understand the pros of this Ai usage if we utilize it right. Wikipedia editors and writers are working for free and on their own time. This is obviously time consuming in a world that already seems to move so fast. The idea of using Ai to clean up writing can reduce the workload and time spent on some of the more tedious work that comes with working on Wikipedia. When used correctly this can help editors skip some of that more low level work and focus on the bigger tasks at hands. This is important to understand how we can benefit from both sides.

My final takeaways and advice to the Wikipedia community and foundation is simple, Ai can be beneficial if it does not take away from the community aspect that makes Wikipedia so great. To make sure this happens we need to firstly, not let writers submit work completely done by Ai. Wikipedia being a social encyclopedia requires the social aspect. By just using Ai we skip that aspect. Secondly we need to include Ai usage statements for when Ai is used on assisting writing so that readers can know where the work is fully coming from. Transparency is key. If we follow these rules I feel like Wikipedia can benefit from the slight usage of Ai to help streamline some of the more basic tasks as well as cleaning up grammar and spelling. The use of Ai is a newer situation that is tough to navigate and we have to be willing to learn and adapt to help keep the Wikipedia community what it is, a community.