Wikipedia pauses AI-generated summaries pilot after editors protest

Wikipedia has reportedly paused an experiment that used AI to summarize articles on its platform after editors pushed back.

Wikipedia announced earlier this month it was going to run the experiment for users who have the Wikipedia browser extension installed and chose to opt in, according to 404 Media. AI-generated summaries showed up at the top of every Wikipedia article with a yellow “unverified” label. Users had to click to expand and read them.

Editors almost immediately criticized the pilot, raising concerns that it could damage Wikipedia’s credibility. Often, the problem with AI-generated summaries is that they contain mistakes, the result of AI “hallucinations.” News publications running similar experiments, like Bloomberg, have been forced to issue corrections and, in some cases, scale back their tests.

While Wikimedia has paused its experiment, the platform has indicated it’s still interested in AI-generated summaries for use cases like expanding accessibility.